818 Chapter 6
Indian government protested the seizure and suggested that the boundary dispute be
settled separately.
Coding changes: End Date changed from November 1, 1958.
MID#203
Dispute Number: 203
Date(s): June 1959 to October 31, 1961
Participants: 750 India/710 China
Outcome (and Settlement): Unclear (None)
Fatalities: Missing
Narrative: In the wake of a Tibetan rebellion, the Indian military was attempting to
fortify its McMahon line claim, while the Chinese forces were militarizing the area.
Chinese suspicions that Indian troops were aiding Tibetan rebels led to an outbreak
of violence. On June 23, 1959, the Indian embassy in Peking received a White Paper
from the Chinese government protesting an incursion by hundreds of Indian troops
into the Assam Himalaya and a temporary occupation of Migyitun. China alleged that
Migyitun had been shelled.
The Indian government denied these acts and presented countercharges that Chi-
nese forces were arresting Indian troops and committing border violations on Indian
Territory. Actual fighting broke out on August 25, and while the Indian government
accused the Chinese forces of attacking its Longju post, the Chinese government
insisted that Indians had again intruded into the Migyitun area and opened fire on Chi-
nese troops, who then returned fire. The Chinese then began building military outposts
in what India claimed was its territory, and so in response, the Indian military began
building military outposts in what China considered its territory. The last action that
took place within this dispute was on October 31, 1961, when the Indian government
accused Chinese forces of moving farther into Indian territory and establishing new
military posts at Nyagzu and Dambuguru. However, the two clashed in war almost
one year later (see MID#199).
Coding changes: Start Date changed from June 23, 1959.
MID#199
Dispute Number: 199
Date(s): November 2, 1961 to December 25, 1963
Participants: 750 India/710 China
Outcome (and Settlement): Victory for side B (Imposed)
Fatalities: >999 deaths
Narrative: This dispute describes the Sino-Indian War fought in 1962, largely in the
shadow of the ongoing Cuban Missile Crisis. India and China disputed where their
borders met in the Himalayas, and India had been forceful in normalizing its borders
after it had gained independence from the British following World War II. China had
become aggressive too, occupying Tibet in 1950. This angered India, who had claims
in the area as well.