copenlu/druid huggingface dataset:
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-14): There were other suzerainty claims too. In between China resorted to cartographic aggression, showing the entire eastern part of Bhutan as part of Tibet and China. Later maps, however, did not show eastern Bhutan as Chinese territory. Against this background, the flight of Dalai Lama to India in March 1959 and the subsequent movement of PLA troops towards the border with Bhutan compelled Bhutan to shut down its trade office in Lhasa and to ban all trade with China.The tenuous link that they had with Tibet was snapped completely. This was also the time China annexed 6 Bhutanese enclaves in the Kailash Manasarovar region. Bhutan had administered these enclaves for over three centuries. The enclaves were gifted to Bhutan by the King of Ladakh in the seventeenth century. China has refused to give back the enclaves to Bhutan. [...] GEF approved the proposal finally, but at the request of China the following was included in the records: ’in light of the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in the project ID 10561is located in the China-Bhutan disputed areas which is on the agenda of China-Bhutan boundary talk, China opposes and does not join the Council decision on this project’. In response, the Council member for Bhutan requested that the views of Bhutan be reflected as follows: ‘Bhutan totally rejects the claim made by the Council Member of China. Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary is an integral and sovereign territory of Bhutan and at no point during the boundary discussions between Bhutan and China has it featured as a disputed area’.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-23): Geographically, Bhutan is sandwiched between the two neighbouring states of India to the south and China to the north and northeast. The Bhutan-China border runs across for approximately 477 km across very mountainous Himalayan territory, connecting northern regions of Bhutan on the south of the border with the Tibet Autonomous Region of China north of the border.[3] The Bhutan-China border is porous and poorly demarcated, and has been a source of long running tension between the two states.[4][5][6] Territorial disputes with Bhutan have been a source of potential conflict. Since 1984, the two governments have conducted regular talks on border and security issues to reduce tensions.[7][8] [...] In 1998, China and Bhutan signed an Agreement to Maintain Peace and Tranquility on the Bhutan-China border.[22][1] The two sides also proposed the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.[19][23][22][24] However, China later built roads in the territory claimed by Bhutan, and China was accused of violating the agreement and provoking tension.[7] In 2024, The New York Times reported that, according to satellite imagery, China had constructed villages inside of disputed territory within Bhutan.[25] Chinese individuals, called "border guardians," received annual subsidies to relocate to newly built villages and paid to conduct border patrols.[25]
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-10-24): Beijing also took over the control of eight Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet during its retaliatory action to the Tibetan uprising in 1959, the report added. [...] India considers the Doklam plateau as an undisputed territory of Bhutan, whereas, Beijing regards it as an extension of its Chumbi Valley, which lies between Sikkim and Bhutan, noted ThePrint. In June 2020, Beijing asserted a claim on the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary, which is situated in eastern Bhutan and borders Arunachal Pradesh. China has also allegedly built several villages inside Bhutanese territory. However, these allegations were dismissed by Bhutanese prime minister Lotay Tshering in an interview with the Belgian newspaper La Libre in March.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-11): Bhutan and China initiated boundary talks in 1984 and have since focused on mainly three disputed areas — Jakarlung and Pasamlung areas in north Bhutan, and the Doklam area in west Bhutan. [...] India considers the Doklam plateau as an undisputed territory of Bhutan, whereas, Beijing regards it as an extension of its Chumbi Valley, which lies between Sikkim and Bhutan. [...] Now, with Thimphu and Beijing close to a border deal and likely establishment of diplomatic ties, India is wary of the developments. According to Chatham House, "New Delhi would be concerned that, in the event of a deal demarcating Bhutan’s northern border, attention may turn to territory in Bhutan’s west which China disputes, including the Doklam plateau."
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-09-10): - Official maps showed parts of Bhutanese territory as part of China. - Moreover, during its annexation of Tibet, China briefly occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. Chinese incursions into Bhutanese territory have continued, as has China’s building of roads in disputed areas. [...] - Until recently, the Sino-Bhutanese border dispute involved territory in the western and central sectors only. Beijing claimed 764 square kilometers of Bhutanese territory: 495 sq km in the Jakurlung and Pasamlung Valleys in north-central Bhutan and another 269 sq km in western Bhutan.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-07-16): But more interestingly, the report mentions several Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet. It notes: "Chinese officials have illegally dispossessed the designated authorities of the Government of Bhutan in the following eight villages situated in western Tibet over which Bhutan has been exercising administrative jurisdiction for more than 300 years: Khangri, Tarchen, Tsekhor, Diraphu, Dzung Tuphu, Jangehe, Chakip and Kocha." Minsar, the Indian enclave in Tibet is better known, but these villages too did not belong to Tibet, they were part of Bhutan’s territory. [...] The scholar, John Bray, who is the president of the International Association of Ladakh Studies, wrote a fascinating research paper on the ‘Bhutanese enclaves’ in Tibet. He explained that until the 1950s "both Ladakh and Bhutan governed small enclaves of territory in Western Tibet. Ladakh’s enclave consisted of the village of Minsar, near lake Manasarovar, and its surrounding land, while Bhutan governed the Darchen Labrang and several smaller monasteries and villages near Mount Kailash. Bhutan continued to raise revenue there for some 300 years.". [...] Are the forgotten Bhutanese enclaves ‘ripe for settlement’ now? Mr Geng has probably forgotten their existence.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-10-06): The 1959 Tibetan Rebellion and the 14th Dalai Lama's arrival in neighbouring India made the security of Bhutan's border with China a necessity for Bhutan. An estimated 6,000 Tibetans fled to Bhutan and were granted asylum, although Bhutan subsequently closed its border to China, fearing more refugees to come.[5][11] In July 1959, along with the occupation of Tibet, the Chinese People's Liberation Army occupied several Bhutanese exclaves in western Tibet which were under Bhutanese administration for more than 300 years and had been given to Bhutan by Ngawang Namgyal in the 17th century.[8] These included Darchen, Labrang Monastery, Gartok and several smaller monasteries and villages near Mount Kailas.[12][13][14][15] [...] - ^ "Ladakhi and Bhutanese Enclaves in Tibet" (PDF). John Bray. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-02. Retrieved 2023-10-10.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-08-30): Bhutan exclaves in western Tibet [edit]During the 17th century Bhutan maintained close relations with Ladakh, and assisted Ladakh in its 1684 war with Tibet. Ladakh had earlier granted Bhutan several enclaves near Mount Kailash in western Tibet; these were monasteries of the Southern branch of the Drukpa sect and so fell under the authority of the Bhutanese Je Khenpo and the Zhabdrung. These enclaves persisted under Bhutanese control even after the rest of western Tibet came under the control of the Dalai Lama and his Gelugpa sect, until 1959 when the Bhutanese enclaves were seized by the Chinese.[16] In addition to these outposts in Tibet, Bhutan for a time[vague] held monastic fiefs in Ladakh, Zanskar, and Lahul (now part of India), as well as in Lo Manthang and Dolpo (now part of Nepal).[17][18] [...] The Duar War (1864–65) lasted only five months and, despite some battlefield victories by Bhutanese forces, resulted in Bhutan's defeat, loss of part of its sovereign territory, and forced cession of formerly occupied territories. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sinchula, signed on 11 November 1865, Bhutan ceded territories in the Assam Duars and Bengal Duars, as well as the eighty-three-square-kilometer territory of Dewangiri in southeastern Bhutan, in return for an annual subsidy of 50,000 rupees.[20] The land that was to become Bhutan House was ceded from Bhutan to British India in 1865 at the conclusion the Duar War and as a condition of the Treaty of Sinchula.[21][22]
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2011-08-21): During the 17th century Bhutan maintained close relations with Ladakh, and assisted Ladakh in its 1684 war with Tibet. Ladakh had earlier granted Bhutan several enclaves near Mount Kailash in western Tibet; these were monasteries of the Southern branch of the Drukpa sect and so fell under the authority of the Bhutanese Je Khenpo and the Zhabdrung. These enclaves persisted under Bhutanese control even after the rest of western Tibet came under the control of the Dalai Lama and his Gelugpa sect, until 1959 when the Bhutanese enclaves were seized by the Chinese.[16] In addition to these outposts in Tibet, Bhutan for a time[vague] held monastic fiefs in Ladakh, Zanskar, and Lahul (now part of India), as well as in Lo Manthang and Dolpo (now part of Nepal).[17][18] [...] The Duar War (1864–65) lasted only five months and, despite some battlefield victories by Bhutanese forces, resulted in Bhutan's defeat, loss of part of its sovereign territory, and forced cession of formerly occupied territories. Under the terms of the Treaty of Sinchula, signed on 11 November 1865, Bhutan ceded territories in the Assam Duars and Bengal Duars, as well as the eighty-three-square-kilometer territory of Dewangiri in southeastern Bhutan, in return for an annual subsidy of 50,000 rupees.[20] The land that was to become Bhutan House was ceded from Bhutan to British India in 1865 at the conclusion the Duar War and as a condition of the Treaty of Sinchula.[21][22]
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-01): During the 17th century, Bhutan established strong ties with Ladakh and provided support to Ladakh during its conflict with Tibet in 1684. As a gesture of goodwill and as a mark of their alliance, Ladakh granted Bhutan several enclaves near Mount Kailash in western Tibet. These enclaves comprised monasteries belonging to the Southern branch of the Drukpa sect, thus falling under the jurisdiction of the Bhutanese Je Khenpo and the Zhabdrung. Despite the broader western Tibetan region coming under the control of the Dalai Lama and the Gelugpa sect, these Bhutanese enclaves remained under Bhutanese authority. They served as significant religious and cultural outposts for Bhutan in the Tibetan region. However, in 1959, amidst geopolitical changes and the Chinese occupation of Tibet, the Bhutanese enclaves in western Tibet were seized by Chinese forces. This marked the end of Bhutanese control over these territories.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2020-07-23): Until recently, the Sino-Bhutanese border dispute involved territory in the western and central sectors only. Beijing claimed 764 square kilometers of Bhutanese territory: 495 sq km in the Jakurlung and Pasamlung Valleys in north-central Bhutan and another 269 sq km in western Bhutan. [...] Thimphu has rejected Beijing’s claim. Not only is the Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary "an integral and sovereign territory of Bhutan," but also "at no point during the boundary discussions" between the two countries "has it featured as a disputed area," Bhutan clarified. [...] China began asserting its claims over Bhutan with increasing vigor in the late 19th century to counter growing British influence there. In 1930, Mao Zedong claimed that Bhutan (among other Himalayan kingdoms) fell within the "the correct boundaries of China." The People’s Republic of China was even more aggressive in asserting such claims; official maps showed parts of Bhutanese territory as part of China. Moreover, during its annexation of Tibet, China briefly occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. Chinese incursions into Bhutanese territory have continued, as has China’s building of roads in disputed areas. This despite the fact that under Clause 3 of the 1998 Treaty to Maintain Peace and Tranquility on the Bhutan-China border areas, the two sides agreed to maintain the status quo on the border areas.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-12-16): Analysis published this week by the Indian news channel NDTV identified at least 129 buildings in one settlement and 62 buildings in another enclave in Jakarlung. The structures appeared to be residential quarters, indicating substantial and possibly permanent Chinese settlement in the area. China was also carrying out further construction in the Menchuma Valley, east of Jakarlung. Pollock said it, too, could be included in Bhutan's territorial concession. [...] The ongoing negotiations, Symon said, could significantly impact the status of Bhutan's valleys in the north. Thimphu's potential concessions to Beijing in Jakarlung and Menchuma could greatly undermine Bhutan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2022-10-30): Since 2014, satellite images from Maxar Technologies/Google Earth reveal that China has been steadily reinforcing its infrastructure along the TAR’s border with Bhutan, Nepal and India, constructing 600 new villages within Tibet as well as highways and railway lines. Barnett’s investigation however has revealed the existence of a large Chinese village, identified by its Tibetan name of Gyalaphug. The village is similar in scope to Pangda near Doklam located within the contested Pasamlung Valley. Known to the Bhutanese as Beyul Khenpajong, the area is of enormous cultural and religious significance to both Bhutanese and Tibetan Buddhists. The investigation further reveals Gyalaphug is not simply an isolated village. Rather, it sits within a network of projects, including a small hydropower station, two Chinese Communist Party administrative centres, and five police outposts. This, alongside a similar enclave reportedly under construction in the Menchuma Valley, represents a low-level annexation by China in territory internationally recognised as belonging to Bhutan. Beijing meanwhile contends that Gyalaphug is administratively part of Lhodrak in the TAR, as per comments by Wu Yingjie, the CCP Party Secretary of Tibet.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-05-07): Today all of the Menchuma Valley and most of the Beyul are controlled by China. Both are being settled. Together, they constitute 1 percent of Bhutan’s territory; if it were to lose them, it would be comparable to the United States losing Maine or Kentucky. If Bhutanese troops try to reenter these areas, they will have to do so on foot and, given the lack of infrastructure on their side, would be immediately beyond the reach of supplies or reinforcements. The Chinese troops would have a barracks close at hand, would be motorized, and would be only three hours’ drive from the nearest town in China.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2021-07-19): Since 2014, satellite images from Maxar Technologies reveal that China has been steadily reinforcing its infrastructure along the TAR’s border with Bhutan, constructing 600 new villages within Tibet as well as highways and railway lines. Barnett’s investigation has also shown the existence of a large Chinese village, Gyalaphug, similar to Pangda near Doklam constructed five years earlier and located within the contested Pasamlung valley. Known to the Bhutanese as Beyul Khenpajong, the area is of enormous cultural and religious significance to both Bhutanese and Tibetan Buddhists. The investigation by Foreign Policy further reveals Gyalaphug is not simply an isolated village; rather it sits alongside a small hydropower station, two Chinese Communist Party (CCP) administrative centres, a communications facility, a large warehouse, and possibly five military outposts. This, along with a similar enclave under construction in the Menchuma Valley nearby, represents a low-level land grab by China in territory internationally recognised as belonging to Bhutan. Beijing, however, contends that Gyalaphug is in the TAR as per comments by Wu Yingjie, the CCP Party Secretary of Tibet.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2017-07-17): But more interestingly, the Report mentions several Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet, it notes: "Chinese officials have illegally dispossessed the designated authorities of the Government of Bhutan in the following eight villages situated in western Tibet over which Bhutan has been exercising administrative jurisdiction for more than 300 years: Khangri, Tarchen, Tsekhor, Diraphu, Dzung Tuphu, Jangehe, Chakip and Kocha." Minsar, the Indian enclave in Tibet is better known, but these villages too did not belong to Tibet, they were part of Bhutan’s territory. [...] A scholar, John Bray, who is President of the International Association of Ladakh Studies, wrote a fascinating research paper on the ‘Bhutanese enclaves’ in Tibet. He explained that until the 1950s "both Ladakh and Bhutan governed small enclaves of territory in Western Tibet. Ladakh’s enclave consisted of the village of Minsar, near lake Manasarovar, and its surrounding land, while Bhutan governed the Darchen Labrang and several smaller monasteries and villages near Mount Kailash …and Bhutan continued to raise revenue there for some 300 years."."
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-07): Bhutan's Ambassador to India, Major General Vetsop Namgyel (retired), underscores Bhutan's commitment to uphold and safeguard its territorial interests during boundary negotiations. [...] China's occupation of Bhutanese territory also raises security concerns for India. The 2017 Doklam plateau standoff and subsequent Chinese incursions into Bhutanese territory near Doklam suggest a strategic move to extend China's presence southward, threatening the Siliguri corridor, a vital land strip connecting India's northeast with the rest of the country.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2023-07-21): With then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s visit in 1958, Bhutan shunned its isolation policy and began to look south. Bhutan saw the opportunity to ensure its sovereignty by seeking security and socio-economic assistance from India while gradually diversifying its relations with other countries.[16] It was further compelled to move closer to India, as it ceased all its diplomatic and economic ties with Lhasa to retaliate against China’s annexation of eight Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet in 1959.[17] [...] Post-2010, a new and fourth phase of negotiation has—what this paper calls the ‘enforcement phase’. China is building permanent settlements on Bhutanese territory. The aim is to use its material might to compel Bhutan to negotiate and end the border dispute as early as possible.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-01-16): China's territorial conquest in neighboring Bhutan has extended onto the sacred ancestral land of the Himalayan kingdom's royal family, according to a new report. China has slowly nibbled away border territories in northern Bhutan—a country known for its serene landscapes and rich cultural heritage—with the construction of new settlements and road networks seen in recent satellite imagery, Indian news channel NDTV said earlier this month. [...] Newsweek previously reported Chinese construction projections inside Bhutan's territory in the valleys of Jakarlung and Menchuma, where Beijing appeared to be encouraging the use of civilian housing.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-03-28): The India-Bhutan relationship had strengthened owing to the threat from Communist China. In 1949, China invaded Tibet, which borders Bhutan. Through the 1950s, China unveiled maps claiming parts of Bhutanese territory. In 1959, it annexed 8 Bhutanese enclaves in Tibet. Bhutan felt threatened and turned to India. India sent a military team to the Haa Valley to set up The Indian Military Training Team (IMTRAT) mission to train Bhutanese soldiers shortly before the 1962 India-China war. Delhi also began funding Bhutan’s economic development. 70% of Bhutan’s exports come to India. However, Bhutan also has a quarter of its trade with China. Thimphu is engaged in border demarcation talks directly with Beijing, as China has made considerable inroads in infrastructure development in Bhutan’s northern valleys, particularly in the telecom sector and road building projects. Bhutan’s imports are capital-intensive with machine goods, durable items, and daily appliances, indicating that as Bhutan grows, so will its reliance on China. Therefore, Bhutan is trying to formalize diplomatic relations with China and resolve the boundary dispute bilaterally, keeping the negotiation details under wraps, as Bhutan’s Doklam plateau has a direct security bearing on India’s Siliguri Corridor.
Claim: Bhutanese enclaves is a territory of Bhutan (Bhutanese enclaves, 2024-10-09)
Evidence (2024-02-05): The PRC also tends to see Bhutan to some extent as a part of its own territory. In 1930, for instance, Mao Zedong claimed that Bhutan fell under "the correct boundaries of China." Official maps of the PRC released in 1954 and 1958 reflected Beijing’s expanding territorial claims in Bhutan, and in 1959, amid its annexation of Tibet, the pRC occupied eight Bhutanese enclaves in western Bhutan. [4] The bloody suppression of the Tibetan uprising and the flight of the 14th Dalai Lama and his followers left a deep impression on the Bhutanese. Accounts of Chinese atrocities on Tibetans who fled to Bhutan convinced them that the Chinese were "out to destroy Buddhism and Buddhists" (China Brief, April 20, 2017). Even the PRC’s most recent standard national map includes disputed Bhutanese territories as its own (People’s Daily App, August 28, 2023).