ITANAGAR, May 21: In the recent past, somewhere in Anjaw district along the Indo-China border, locals caught few pigeons. If not for the coded tags in around their feet, the pigeons would have been just another arboreal species. However, what makes these pigeons highly intriguing is the usage of Chinese language in the tags.

This daily shared the images with few experts who deciphered the code as “C028 Li Ma Qu” (Qu= Chu= River). This refers to the “Rima River” on the Chinese side and “Lohit River” as is known in India.

Not to sound alarmist yet objectively looking, security experts aren’t surprised to find these tagged “Chinese” pigeons. In the hilly terrain where logistics are always a challenge, the pigeons have proved to be user friendly and highly effective in delivering the goods.  

Also, these pigeons must be viewed in the context of a widely read report – China’s Most Secret Weapon: The Messenger Pigeon – published by the TIME MAGAZINE in 2011:

Chengdu Division of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) began training 10,000 pigeons as part of a push to build a ‘reserve pigeon army’ that would provide support to the military’s conventional communications infrastructure in the event that war rendered its plethora of modern technology unusable.

“These military pigeons will be primarily called upon to conduct special military mission between troops stationed at our land borders or ocean borders,” Air Force Military Expert Chen Hong told China Central Television. According to reports, the birds will be dispersed to communication bases across China’s remote and mountainous southwestern region, particularly around the Himalayan foothills.

In 2012, well known author, columnist and expert on Indo- China-Tibet, Claude Arpi in an article had questioned the communication facilities along Indian side of McMahon line. “China has the telecom towers plus the pigeons, what about India? Will someone suggest to Mr AK Anthony (the then Union Defence Minister) to use some of these birds, at least for the jawans to communicate with their family at Nathula, Demchok or Bumla.”- Arpi had quipped on the lack of telecommunication at border outpost after a mainstream newspaper highlighted how the jawans posted at these high altitudes were making phone calls via Chinese telecommunication towers.

By the way, according to The TIME MAGAZINE, these pigeons fly at speed of upto 120 kilometers per hour and Chinese trained pigeons can carry loads up to 100 grams.

Sure enough, these pigeons caught in Anjaw district are special pigeons.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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