Kathmandu. The government of Nepal has sent a team to Humla to study the border with China. Earlier, the KP Sharma Oli-led government had said that the border had not been crossed. But after Oli’s removal, the Sher Bahadur Deuba-led government has formed a study team on the dispute.
The team has already started its work. Disagreeing with the Oli government’s decision, a committee headed by Home Ministry Joint Secretary Acharya has started the study after the Deuba government formed a committee on September 3 to conduct an on-site study on the border crossing in Limi and surrounding areas of Namkha village in Humla.
Meeting with Namkha Village Municipality Chairman Prachanda
While the study team has reached Humla, the chairperson of Namkha village municipality has arrived in the federal capital Kathmandu. It is reported that village chairman Bishnu Bahadur Tamang met UCPN (Maoist) central chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and discussed the border dispute.
It is said that Prachanda is now in trouble saying that there is no boundary dispute from the then government without any study. He is angry that a study team has been formed on the China border dispute. In this context, his meeting with the village chairman is viewed with importance.
Sources claim that the Chinese embassy has intensified meetings with various leaders, administration and concerned village heads and deputy heads as soon as the government formed the study team. A source said that the purpose of the meeting could not affect the study team.
It is said that the Chinese officials have met the people’s representatives of Humla many times. It is said that their meeting had a profound meaning while the study team was on the border dispute.
Earlier, a member of the task force had said that the issue had to be rewritten after the Maoist center disagreed to include the issue of Humla in the Deuba government’s program. Tensions had erupted in the task force after the Maoists refused to include the issue of encroachment on Limi in Humla in the program.
Leave a hole in the boundary column
An inspection of 10 main and auxiliary border posts in Humla, which borders China at the time, revealed that China had encroached on five of them. A team led by Nepali Congress central member Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, local people’s representatives and journalists inspected all the main and auxiliary pillars from 5 to 12 except the border pillar No. 4 attached to the Humla border.
Chinese building on Nepali land
He said that the team of Shahi, who had gone from Simkot to observe the border, reached Lalongjong in Lapcha area of Limi area of Ward No. 6 of Namkha village on Nepali land and found the Chinese constructing buildings on Nepali land. He claimed that the Chinese had built houses on Nepali land and demanded the government to conduct a study and monitoring as soon as possible in the presence of border experts and locals of both the countries.
After his visit, the Nepali Congress informed the then KP Oli government about the border dispute. Congress Vice President Vimalendra Nidhi, General Secretary Dr. Leaders including Shashank Koirala had sought information from the government about the dispute. The Oli government had said at the time that the border had not been crossed without any study.
Ward president worried
Paljor Tamang, ward chairperson of Namkha-6, complains that the government has not crossed the border even when the Chinese have encroached on the construction of buildings in Gapudocha since the water receded. Ward president Paljor Tamang had said that the Chinese had come to the Nepali land of Lalungjong about a kilometer and a half away and built buildings.
Namkha Vice President Pema Tamang also said that the buildings were built on Nepali land. He said that the locals were outraged when the government hastily stated that the land was owned by China even though the buildings were on Nepali land.
