Posted on 04/23/2013 9:58:14 PM PDT by Jyotishi
Leh: India today said that it hopes to use agreements with China to "resolve peacefully" the stand-off in Ladakh, where New Delhi says soldiers from the People's Liberation Army have set up camp in Indian territory. "We have asked the Chinese side to maintain the status quo in this sector" said Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson for the Foreign Affairs Ministry. "By this I mean the status quo prior to this incident," he said.
Here are 10 big developments in this story:
1. India and China held a second flag meeting today to discuss a stand-off over nearly a dozen Chinese soldiers who have set up a remote camp some 10 km (6 miles) inside territory claimed by India in Ladakh. Details of what transpired at the meeting are awaited.
2. Indian government officials have confirmed that on the night of April 15, two helicopters gave support to the Chinese as they set up temporary posts on the Indian side of the disputed border.
3. China has denied that its troops have crossed into Indian territory. "Our troops are patrolling on the Chinese side of the actual line of control and have never trespassed the line," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying yesterday.
4. The de facto border separating China and India is known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC). While it has never been formally demarcated, the countries signed two accords to maintain peace in frontier areas in 1993 and 1996.
5. Military commanders at the Brigadier level from the two sides had met last week, but failed to break the deadlock.
6. Till yesterday, China had not agreed to India's request for a second flag meeting, citing the non-availability of their senior officers, sources said.
7. Yesterday, Defence Minister AK Antony said, "India will take every step to protect its interests." The Indian army has set up its own temporary camp just 500 meters (1600 feet) from the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers after the incident on April 15
8. Though small incursions across the Line of Actual Control are common, it is rare for either country to set up camp so deep.
9. The assessment in the Indian government is that the Chinese will eventually withdraw but could use this "occupation" to lay claims to the area at a later stage of border negotiations.
10. The latest incident took place at Daulat Beg Oldie, where India established a landing strip during the 1962 war. At 5,100 meters (16,700 feet), the strip is one of the world's highest. It was reopened in 2008.
The interesting thing to me is that the Chinese helicopters can operate at that altitude.
Ladakh is the top of the world.
Nothing like China provoking both Japan and India (to say nothing of Vietnam) in border disputes...
Who’s running their foreign office?
I have suspected that China is arming Pakistan for a long time.
The tentacles of the Chinese are reaching further and further.
9,800 feet. Did China steal helicopter technology from the U.S.?
China has been mucking with India for a long time.
Oops! Did we build some roads into Bhutan or Andhra Pradesh and claim it as ours?
So Solly..
Try 16k-18K feet.
Leh sits at almost 12K ft
> Try 16k-18K feet.
Thanks, but that can’t be right because I got my info from Wikipedia! /sarc.
Great pic. They ought to hold motorcross up there.
It depends on where in the Ladakh range they were.
Leh is like 12k ft.
Kardung La is 18K ft
High-Altitude Helicopter Rescue Sets Record
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2011/05/record-setting-high-altitude-helicopter-rescue-in-alaska/
Flying airliners at altitudes of 35,000 feet is routine. But helicopters, with their relatively small rotary wings, struggle in thin air. Hermansky was flying a Eurocopter AS350 B3, commonly known as an “AStar.” The same model made headlines several years ago when a test pilot briefly touched down on the summit of Mt. Everest.
Most folks are just lucky to make it up there.
That is amazing.
I know guys that flew choppers in Afghanistan.
I would not want to be on board even if there was no shooting.
GIVING EVEREST THE BIRD
The arrival of high-altitude helicopters on Mount Everest and other Nepalese peaks has transformed search-and-rescue and saved lives. But the choppers have also added to the chaos at the top of the world—and introduced a deadly new brand of danger.
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/climbing/mountaineering/Giving-Everest-the-Bird.html
I bet he had zero payload and struggled.
Helicopter on Everest makes History
http://www.greatoutdoors.com/published/helicopter-on-everest-makes-history
Amazing.
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