Nepal refutes report on Chinese encroachment of its land, says 'boundaries demarcated'

Amid mounting tension between India and China, reports came in that in a desperate move by China to safeguard its territory, PLA allegedly annexed Nepal's Rui village in Gorkha district. However. refuting the claims, Nepal government has termed the news as fake. Releasing a statement on Thursday,  Nepal's foreign ministry (MoFA) said that media reports regarding boundary issues and illegal encroachment of some territories by China were false. 

"The news allegedly based on the 'report' of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development which that Ministry has already refuted and clarified stating that such "report" doesn't exist and that the subject matter doesn't fall under its jurisdiction," the MoFA said in a press release. The ministry also requested the media to verify the information from the relevant authorities before commenting on such sensitive matters which may adversely affect the relations between the two friendly neighbours. 

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"The Government of Nepal will solve through mutual consultation between the concerned authorities of the two countries in case any issue arises," the press release added. The boundary between Nepal and China was delineated and demarcated on the basis of the Boundary Treaty of October 5, 1961, and the subsequent protocols signed between the two countries, the ministry clarified. Boundary Markers No. 37 and 38 reported as missing in the media reports have never been erected as agreed between the two countries owing to natural conditions, the ministry said.

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Border dispute between India and Nepal

Nepal has passed country's new map showing Indian territory of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura as its own. Nepal's PM has said that the issue remians their big priority. Moreover, even as Monsoon hits Bihar, Nepal stalled repair work on the Gandak barrage and a key embankment on the Lalbakeya river, thus increasing the possibility of flood in Bihar's Mithilanchal region.

Additionally, quoting villagers in the Indo-Nepal borders, news agency PTI reported that Nepal’s FM radio channels are broadcasting anti-India speeches. Nepal had earlier in 2020 opposed 80-km strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand as a link road to Kailash Mansarovar.

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