China Occupies Nepal’s Rui Village, 36 Hectares Of Strategic Lands At 11 Places In Four Districts

China has occupied Rui village of Nepal and removed the boundary pillars to legitimise its annexation. China has gradually made inroads into several Nepalese territories with an objective to seize complete control.

  • Rui village in Gorkha district is now in total control of China
  • Chinese removed the boundary pillars to legitimise its annexation
  • Residents comprising around 72 houses are fighting for their original identity
  • China has also occupied strategic lands at 11 places across Nepal with around 36 hectares of land in four districts
  • The occupation of Rui village has been done systematically by China in the last two years
  • Nepal has recently come out with a new map that claims parts of Indian territory in Pithoragarh district
  • The dispute arises from the Treaty of Sugauli signed between British East India Company and Nepal
  • At the heart of the issue is the 80-km-long strategically crucial road India built connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand

China Occupies Nepal's Rui Village
China occupies Nepal’s Rui village, 36 hectares of strategic lands at 11 places in four districts

The latest in the line is Rui village in Gorkha district, which is now in total control of China. The residents comprising around 72 houses are fighting for their original identity.

Apart from Rui village, China has also occupied strategic lands at 11 places across Nepal. Around 36 hectares of land in four districts of Nepal, which border China, have been illegally occupied by China. The occupation of Rui village has been done systematically by China in the last two years.

Nepal has recently come out with a new map that claims parts of Indian territory in Pithoragarh district. India has rejected this new map of Nepal saying it is not based on historical facts or evidence. The new political map of the country features parts of Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura areas which are in Indian territory.

The dispute arises from a treaty signed between British East India Company and Nepal. The Treaty of Sugauli signed by Nepal and British East India Company in 1816 locates the Kali River as Nepal’s western boundary with India and makes no mention of ridgelines. Subsequent maps drawn by British surveyors show the source of the boundary river at different places.

[jetpack_subscription_form title="Subscribe to GreatGameIndia" subscribe_text="Enter your email address to subscribe to GGI and receive notifications of new posts by email."]

This discrepancy in locating the source of the river led to boundary disputes between India and Nepal, with each country producing maps supporting their own claims. The Kalapani River runs through an area that includes a disputed area of about 400 km² around the source of the river although the exact size of the disputed area varies from source to source.

The new political map was authenticated by Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari last week. India-Nepal relationship came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated an 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8. Nepal immediately protested, saying the road violated the status quo of the region, which it described as “unresolved”.

Similarly, the Galwan Valley standoff was a Chinese pre-emptive measure in response to India’s Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road infrastructure project in Ladakh. The DBO road project is seen by the Chinese as a tool to offset the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Anurag Srivastava had said the amendment amounts to “artificial enlargement of claims that are not based on historical fact or evidence and is not tenable”. Last year, sources said, Nepal government realised China had been annexing their land however they preferred to remain silent.

Nepal has found that China has already occupied six hectares of land near Bhagdare Khola (River) area and four hectares near Karnali River in Humla district.

They also found that China has illegally occupied two hectares near Sinjen Khola (river) and one hectare of Bhurjuk Khola (River) in Rasuwa district. It has also captured land adjacent to Lamde Khola and three hectares near Jambu Khola in Rasuwa district. China has also illegally occupied seven hectares of land in Kharane Khola and four hectares near Bhote Koshi of Sandhu Pal Chok district in Nepal, three hectares of Samjung Khola, two hectares near Kam Khola and four hectares of land from Arun river bed in Sankhuwasabha district of Nepal.

The term khola means river in local Nepali language. But, instead of objecting to Chinese illegal occupation and growing infiltration into the Nepalese boundaries, the KP Sharma Oli government is looking to unnecessarily interfere in India”s sovereignty. Besides the new map, Oli government is obstructing the dam repair work at Gandak Barrage that threatens flooding in Bihar during the monsoon.

Whereas the reports of Chinese intrusion into northern India have made headlines in mainstream media, a large portion of Arunachal Pradesh has also been occupied by China. According to Mr Tapir Gao, the member of parliament of BJP from Arunachal East, China is building concrete bridges, hydro electric projects, helipads 12 kms from the demarcated McMahon Line inside Arunachal Pradesh.

Send in your tips and submissions by filling out this form or write to us directly at the email provided. Join us on WhatsApp for more intel and updates.

GreatGameIndia is a journal on Geopolitics and International Relations. Get to know the Geopolitical threats India is facing in our exclusive book India in Cognitive Dissonance. Past magazine issues can be accessed from the Archives section.

GreatGameIndia is being actively targeted by powerful forces who do not wish us to survive. Your contribution, however small help us keep afloat. We accept voluntary payment for the content available for free on this website via UPI, PayPal and Bitcoin.

Support GreatGameIndia

Leave a Reply