By Kaveesha Fernando
NEW DELHI, India (CWBN)_ The Indian Army strongly criticized international media coverage of a Chinese professor’s version of a confrontation between Indian and Chinese soldiers, along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in Ladakh in August.
“Media articles on employment of microwave weapons in Eastern Ladakh are baseless. The news is FAKE,” the Indian Army stated on Tuesday, with reference to articles published in several UK news websites, also on Tuesday.
As per video footage that has gone viral on social media, accompanied by an English translation, Jin Canrong, a professor of international relations with Renmin University, Beijing, has allegedly said that the hilltops in Ladakh are of strategic importance to China because they connected two Chinese strongholds and the “wonderful idea” of using a “microwave weapon” (Directed Energy Weapons – DEW), circumvented the longstanding agreement with India which prevents shot from being fired in the region.
“They [Chinese forces] emitted micro waves from the bottom of the mountain, turning the mountaintop into a microwave. After 15 minutes, all the Indian soldiers up there started throwing up. They couldn’t stand up and they all ran away. Thus, we took the hills back.”
Twitter users in India were also quick to criticise the professor’s comments. “The Chinese have lied so many times that its difficult to trust them even if they are speaking the truth. This however seems nothing more than propaganda. They better stick to sun screens and moisturizer for their troops in Chinese occupied Aksai Chin. That’s more believable,” one user tweeted.
India and China have made attempts to implement a 3 phased disengagement plan in eastern Ladakh. If successful, the plan may deescalate mounting tensions in the region which led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers this June.
Officially known as the Union Territory of Ladakh, the province’s vague and heavily disputed border spanning around 3500km separates India from China and has been the cause of significant tension in the past few decades.
Edited By Chathushka Perera
