CHINA-SMUGGLING TWO LAST

Though the Indo Tibetan Border Police and Army have been
trying to clamp down on these smugglers, but they also admit
that it is difficult to curb it because of hundreds of
mountain passes which are difficult to man.

Some of the officials, speaking on the condition of
anonymity, also alleged that a tightened crackdown always saw
political intervention by Ladakhis who have been asking the
security personnel to allow this trade to carry on as it was a
mainstay for many people.

Recently, the Customs set up a check post at Nyoma and
initiated a crackdown on the traders carrying the smuggling
racket but not much has been achieved.

Changthang is a high-altitude plateau in western and
northern Tibet extending into south eastern Ladakh, with vast
highlands and giant lakes.

From eastern Ladakh Changthang stretches approximately
1600 km east into Tibet, as far as the province of Qinghai.
All of it is geographically part of Tibetan plateau. It is
also the home of the Changpa nomads.

The people of the Changthang are nomadic pastoralists,
they are known as Changpa for Northerners or Drukpa for nomads
in Tibetan. As of 1989, there were half a million nomads
living in Changthang.

Unlike many other nomadic groups, the Changpa are not
under pressure from settled farmers as the vast majority of
land they inhabit is too inhospitable for farming. PTI