Author: Sanat K Chakraborty
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: February 4, 2010
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/233713/Setback-for-China's-territorial-aspirations.html
Arunachal to boycott Chinese goods
China may be claiming Arunachal Pradesh to
be part of its territory but people of the State are up in arms against the
proliferation of made-in-China goods in the State.
The influential All-Arunachal Pradesh Students'
Union (AAPSU) has announced boycott of all Chinese goods and demanded that
that India take appropriate steps to protect its Northeastern frontiers.
AAPSU president Takam Tatung told The Pioneer
over phone from Itanagar that boycott will be enforced from February 8. This
is a humiliating snub to Beijing which refuses to issue proper visa to persons
of Arunachal Pradesh for travelling to China and even objected to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's visit to Itanagar.
"We are sending out a clear message to
China that Arunachal Pradesh is an inseparable part of India," AAPSU
president said.
At the same time, Tatung asserted: "We
are also trying to draw New Delhi's immediate attention to the deepening feeling
of alienation of the local tribal communities in the wake of India's feeble
response to China's growing assertion over the Indian territories in Arunachal
Pradesh."
India must respond to people's feeling of
insecurity and anxieties and accelerate development of the border areas of
the State, he said, claiming that the union, on its part, had been working
with people to build their confidence and educating their rights over their
land.
The AAPSU had also been spreading awareness
against Chinese activities in the Tibetan upland bordering Arunachal Pradesh.
Last October, it had held demonstration in front of the Chinese Embassy in
New Delhi.
The AAPSU was upset at New Delhi's 'soft'
approach to Chinese sensitivity. Tatung cited the case of one Chabe Chader,
a villager of Gumsing Taying under Taksing Circle of Upper Subansiri district,
who was allegedly captured by the Chinese Army from Asaphila border area in
August 2007.
The issue was brought to the notice of the
Centre through then BJP MP Kiren Rijiju, but nothing happened. It gave an
impression that New Delhi did not care for its citizens, Tatung rued.
When asked how would the union propose to
enforce the boycott or for that matter motivate people to voluntarily reject
the Chinese goods, the AAPSU chief said it had held several peoples consultation
before deciding on the ban.
"We appreciate their sentiment which
is laudable," said former BJP MP Kiren Rijiju, who has recently joined
the Congress. But he went on to add that such boycott was not practical. He
pointed out that 90 per cent of electronic goods - mobiles, computers, laptops,
cameras, and other gadgets, besides a whole lot of other goods - are made
in China, which have found their way across the globe. "Moreover, it's
going to harm small traders too in the State," he said.
Meanwhile, the Arunachal Chamber of Commerce
and Industries (ACCI) has sought the intervention of the State Government
to deal with the tricky situation arising out of the boycott campaign.
"We do support the cause taken up by
the AAPSU," ACCI president Techi Lala said, and hoped that the campaign
would be a temporary and symbolic one.
