China recruits jobless Tibetans to form ‘volunteer militia’

National

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China has begun raising a militia composed of native Tibetan volunteers that are to maintain security near the Indian border with Sikkim. This can be a considerable factor in the larger Indo-China conflict, especially if large number of youths volunteer, resulting in China enjoying an increased manpower pool to draw from in Tibet.

It is hinted that this new force will be trained at police institutes and PLA camps for duties at check posts close to the border and maintaining law and order in the surrounding country. Most of these check points will be around xiaokang villages near the border. These are somewhat prosperous villages and towns with people that live a comfortable lifestyle. The Tibetan militia could also be used for policing these communities.

This move is both political and military in purpose, for it would not only allow the PLA guarding the border immediate reservists to call upon in case of a conflict, but also generate some goodwill with the Tibetans, whose lands were annexed decades ago by the Communist regime of China.

China’s president Xi Jinping was quoted as saying in 2013 that to govern the country well China must first govern the frontiers well, and to govern the frontiers well they must first ensure stability in Tibet.

The intel report suggests that this recruitment drive by China might not have any direct impact on India but given the current situation between the two countries, any step that China takes cannot be ignored.