Ladakh incursion bid - Chinese soldiers tried to enter the area along the banks of Pangong lake

TT, Aug. 15: Indian border guards today frustrated an attempt by Chinese soldiers to enter Indian territory along the banks of Pangong lake in Ladakh, officials said.

Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) tried to enter the Indian side in two areas -- Finger Four and Finger Five -- twice between 6am and 9am. On both occasions their attempt was thwarted by Indian troops, the officials added.

The foreign ministry and the army had not formally confirmed the attempted incursion till late evening. But diplomats involved with the relationship with China said they had received information of what one of them called a "minor incident" in Ladakh. 

Chinese soldiers, these officials said, had tried to cross the Line of Actual Control but were pushed back after a brief fracas. But the diplomats cautioned against comparing the incident to the nearly two-month-long standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam.

Unlike the Sikkim-Tibet border, near where Doklam is located, the LAC in Ladakh is undemarcated. India and China have different perceptions of the LAC in Ladakh, and their troops frequently cross each other's perceived line.