Beijing, Aug 10: The army has ordered evacuation of a frontier Sikkim village near the site of a tense India-China border standoff, the People’s Daily newspaper said on Thursday.
The Indian military refused comments on the report by the neighbouring Asian giant’s biggest newspaper, which also happens to be the Communist Party of China’s mouthpiece.
But army sources denied any evacuation or plans for such an action in Sikkim.
The People’s Daily tweeted: “Indian troops on Thu orders evacuation of Nathang village, near site of two-month standoff between # Chinese and # Indian armies.”
The tweet carried a picture showing the two points where the Indian military allegedly crossed the “mutually recognized boundary”.
The People’s Daily account about the evacuation matches reports in sections of Indian media that said the villagers have been asked to vacate their houses immediately.
Beijing has taken an aggressive stand since the standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers began on June 16. It accuses New Delhi of trespass and preventing its soldiers from building a road in the disputed region of Doklam, located at a strategic tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan.
According to Bhutan and India, Doklam is part of Bhutanese territory. Beijing says Indian troops should withdraw from the Doklam plateau, while New Delhi maintains that the planned Chinese road will have serious security implication for India.
India has ordered evacuation of frontier Sikkim village: Chinese media
