In a leaked report from the Nepalese government handed over to the BBC, China has been accused of encroachment on Nepal’s land along the border. This is the first time that Nepal has made official claims acknowledging Chinese interference with its territory. The report, as of now still unpublished by the Nepalese government, was commissioned last September following claims that China was making encroachments in the Humla district in Nepal’s far west. The Nepalese government had decided to send a task force to Humla following reports of possible Chinese encroachment, with some people claiming that China had been constructing an abundance of buildings on the Nepalese side of the border. The governmental team consisted of police as well as representatives from the government.
The investigation found that surveillance activities by Chinese security forces had restricted religious activities on the Nepalese side of the border in a place called Lalungjong. The area has traditionally been a center of attraction for pilgrims, as it is adjacent to Mount Kailash on the Chinese border, a sacred site for both Hindus and Buddhists. The report concludes that China is limiting Nepalese farmers from grazing their livestock. In the same area, the team found that China was building a fence around a border pillar and attempting to build a canal and a road on Nepalese land. The report thus recommended that Nepalese security forces be deployed in the area to guarantee security.
As of now the Government of Nepal has yet to issue an official response regarding this matter, although the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu has rejected any occupation. The Nepalese government is believed to have improved relations with China in recent years balancing its longstanding ties with India. The border between Nepal and China runs for about 1,400 km (870 mi) along the Himalayan mountains. In the early 1960s, many treaties between the two countries were signed regarding this. The findings of the report are, nonetheless, likely to put pressure on these growing ties with Beijing.
Where Guardian from Wertheim Global Comes into Play
A government report of this magnitude which has the power to rupture political ties between international actors is likely to be stored on an incredibly secure system. Or, maybe not. If an insider – the likely culprit – was able to leak this document with such ease, can you really consider your content server ‘secure’? Guardian is specifically designed to flag unusual behavior from anyone using your system, regardless of things like clearance level, which for the Nepalese government might have been quite useful in preventing an easily avoidable public relations nightmare like this.