B.RAMAN
According to JPAC (Joint POW/MIA Accounting
Command) of the US, 78,000 Americans
are still missing from World War II, 1,632 of them in the China/Burma/India
theatre. It is believed that about 430 of these, mainly World War II pilots of
the US Air Force, died in plane crashes in India’s Arunachal Pradesh while
carrying out air-drops in the Kachin State of North Burma and ferrying supplies
to the KMT troops in Yunnan.
2. In the beginning of 2008, when
Mr.George Bush was the President of the US, the BBC reported that a US team was
visiting Arunachal Pradesh to search for the remains of the US pilots.
It quoted the then US Consul-General in Kolkata, Mr.Henry Jardine, as saying
that the mission "was in its
preliminary stages". He added: "We are just going to Arunachal Pradesh
to speak to various people in the government who could help in the
search." The BBC reported that the groundwork for the investigation
mission to Arunachal Pradesh was done during a meeting between US and Indian
officials in New Delhi in March, 2008.
3.JPAC spokesman Major Brian DeSantis was quoted by the BBC as saying that during
the New Delhi meeting, the officials of the two countries discussed a tentative
timeline for future investigations and identification of aircraft crash sites.
He added: "Now our team is going to Arunachal Pradesh to discuss details
of future operations with Ministry of Defence and Arunachal Pradesh officials. This
will be followed by site visits in early fall [autumn] to determine the scope
of debris fields and evaluate unique logistical requirements associated with
each site. This process sets the groundwork for future recovery teams."
4.These developments caused concern in Beijing
which interpreted them as implying US
recognition of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims as its territory and
describes as southern Tibet, as Indian territory.
5.A commentary broadcast on March 25,2008, by the
China Radio International criticised the
US for its plans to search for American airmen missing in action during the
Second World War, in “Arunachal Pradesh, the so-called Province set up forcibly
and illegally by India in Chinese territory”. Declaring that the ‘Chinese Government has never recognised the
legality of this province’, it alleged that after a change in its stand ( of allowing the US to undertake
searches) in January 2008, India was cooperating with US in this regard,
scheduling a meeting between the two sides in New Delhi in March 2008.
6.The commentary claimed that the Indian
Intelligence Bureau had opposed the US idea from the point of view of the
region’s sensitivity, particularly in respect of entry of foreigners, but the
Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India had rejected the IB’s
reservations.
7.The Commentary described New Delhi’s motivations
in this regard as attempting to strengthen military ties with Washington and
legalise the status of Arunachal Pradesh as an Indian province, expecting that
this would contribute to an increase in
India’s weight in the ongoing negotiations with China on the disputed border.
The US motivations, according to the Commentary, were to further develop its
military relations with India and use the Arunachal issue as means to restrain
China’s intentions.
8.An Indian news agency report of February 25,2010,
quoted US Consular officials in India as appreciating the cooperation of the
Indian government, the Indian Air Force and the state government of Arunachal Pradesh
with US defence teams searching for the remains of US pilots
in Arunchal Pradesh.
9.The agency report said that the searches under
the Joint POW/missing-in-action Accounting Command were being conducted in
different parts of Arunachal Pradesh as a humanitarian mission. The report
further quoted a US Consular official as saying: "No remains have so far
been found, but we will continue the search.”
10.The weekly “India Today” reported on July
22,2011, that President Barack Obama had
suspended search and recovery expeditions into Arunachal Pradesh after
complaints from the Chinese. The “India Today” reported as follows: “Chinese
concerns over what it sees as American “intrusion” into Arunachal Pradesh have
prompted the Obama administration to suspend plans for recovering bodies of
crewmen who went missing there during the Second World War. Two expeditions
planned in 2010 and 2011 were cancelled ostensibly because of the Chinese
claiming that this was disputed territory. China considers the whole of
Arunachal Pradesh as ‘South Tibet’ and protested expeditions by India and the
US to recover the bodies of over 400 US aircrew who died in crashes while
flying resupply missions between Assam and Kunming, China, during the war.”
11.It added: “After pressure from the families of
those who perished, joint operations to recover the remains of servicemen were
started by the US and India in late 2008. The operations were, however,
inexplicably cancelled by both governments in 2010 and 2011. The US has also
put on hold joint military exercises in Arunachal Pradesh.”
12. Coinciding with the two-day visit of Mr.Leon
Panetta, US Defence Secretary, to New Delhi that concluded on June 6,2012,
sections of the media in India and the US have reported that the Obama
Administration has made a fresh request to New Delhi for permission to resume
the searches in Arunachal Pradesh.
13.They have quoted Syed Akbaruddin, spokesperson of the Ministry
of External Affairs of the Government of India, as saying as follows: "
(There has been )a request by the US, in the North East they perhaps would like
to visit some places where there are remains of perhaps what they feel pilots
who were involved in WWII. This is not a new request. We have had a similar
request several years ago and at that stage we did permit some officials to
visit there. They did not find anything at that time. Perhaps they have some
further information (now). It is a humanitarian cause and it is dealt as
humanitarian issue not only by us but by several neighbours. We need to respond
in a humanitarian manner."
14.There has been no official announcement on this
so far, but the reported media briefing by the spokesperson confirms the
receipt of a request from the Obama Administration for permission to resume the
searches and indicates that the Government of India’s response would be
positive.
15.This is a significant development indicating
that the Obama Administration has overcome its reservations of the last two years because
of the Chinese sensitivities in this
matter and decided to send US search teams back into Arunachal Pradesh. It
would be interesting to see how China reacts to it. ( 7-6-12)
( The writer is Additional Secretary (retd),
Cabinet Secretariat, Govt of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director,
Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate, Chennai Centre For China
Studies. E-Mail: seventyone2@gmail.com . Twitter: @SORBONNE75 )
