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China occupying land in seven border districts, says Nepal survey department

WION Web Team
Kathmandu, NepalUpdated: Aug 23, 2020, 10:59 AM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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According to a report by the Survey Department of Agriculture Ministry of Nepal, China has illegally occupied Nepal's land in several places spreading over seven bordering districts. The report stated Beijing is fast moving forward and further pushing Nepali boundaries by encroaching more and more landmass.

China's expansionist designs, it seems, are moving further unchecked in Nepal as it is slowly and gradually encroaching the land at multiple locations with the tacit support of the present dispensation headed by Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

According to a report by the Survey Department of Agriculture Ministry of Nepal, China has illegally occupied Nepal's land in several places spreading over seven bordering districts. The report stated Beijing is fast moving forward and further pushing Nepali boundaries by encroaching more and more landmass.

It is believed that China has made inroads into several other areas of Nepal, occupied land, and slowly progressing within the country. The Prime Minister KP Oli-led government has preferred to keep mum over the ''illegal occupation'' of the village by China under fears of displeasing the CCP.

The Nepali districts, which are victims of China''s land-grabbing plan including Dolakha, Gorkha, Darchula, Humla, Sindhupalchowk, Sankhuwasabha and Rasuwa.

According to the surveying and mapping department of Nepal, China has pushed the international boundary 1,500 metres towards Nepal in Dolakha. It has pushed the boundary pillar Number 57 in the Korlang area in Dolakha, which was previously located at top of Korlang.

The pillar has been an issue of confrontation between the two countries and China pressurised the Nepali government not to sign the fourth protocol on resolving and managing border disputes between the two countries as China wanted to maintain the status quo and further transgress the boundary arrangements.

The surveying and mapping department has also reported that China has occupied Nepali villages in Gorkha and Darchula districts. Similar to Dolakha, China has relocated Boundary Pillar Numbers 35, 37 and 38 in Gorkha district and Boundary Pillar Number 62 in Nampa Bhanjyang in Solukhumbu.

The first three pillars were located in Gorkha's Rui village and areas of Tom River. Though Nepal's official map shows the village as a part of Nepali territory and citizens of the village have been paying taxes to Nepal government, China had occupied the region and merged it with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in 2017.

Similarly, the Human Rights Commission has reported that a portion of the Jiujiu Village of Darchula has also been occupied by China.

Numerous houses that used to be a part of Nepal have been now taken over by China and assimilated into the Chinese territory.

Besides the reports of land grabbing by the two Nepali agencies, the Ministry of Agriculture also recently came up with a report highlighting multiple cases of land grabbing by China.

The ministry reported about China's occupation of Nepali land in at least 11 places falling under four Nepali districts. Most of the areas occupied in these districts are catchment areas of rivers, including areas of Bhagdare river in Humla, Karnali river, Sanjen river, and Lemde river in Rasuwa; Bhurjug river, Kharane river, and Jambu river in Sindhupalchowk, Bhotekoshi river and Samjug river in Sankhuwasabha; Kamkhola river and Arun river.

Nepal has refrained itself from going ahead with the border talks with China since 2005 as the Nepal government does not want to offend China by reclaiming Nepali land and at the same time dodge criticism at the domestic front for losing territory to China. The Nepali government has also suspended the 2012 border talks to save itself from getting into an indecisive situation.

In June, members of the opposition Nepali Congress moved a resolution in the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Nepalese Parliament, asking the Oli Government to restore the country's territory, which had been encroached upon by China.

The Nepal Congress lawmakers alleged that China had encroached 64 hectares of land in Dolakha, Humla, Sindhupalchowk, Sankhuwasabha, Gorkha and Rasuwa districts of the country.

They alleged that few of the total 98 boundary pillars along the 1414.88 km long border between Nepal and China had gone missing while several others had been shifted inside the territory of Nepal.

(with inputs from ANI)