Sonam Wangchuk hits back at China, criticises India's Home Ministry on Ladakh talks

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has responded sharply to China's recent statements on Ladakh, while also criticising India's government for unfulfilled commitments to the region. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning had stated that China does not recognise Ladakh as a Union Territory.

Wangchuk said China has no right to comment on Ladakh and countered that Tibet, not China, is the neighbour. He called for China to vacate Tibet and return it to the Tibetan people. He stated that Ladakh leaders and the Leh Apex Body had held a press conference condemning China's statements, emphasising that people of Ladakh have always been and will remain happy with India.

However, Wangchuk expressed disappointment with meetings between Ladakh leaders and India's Home Ministry officials, saying the government's positions in those talks suggest the region has been let down by its own side rather than external adversaries. He used a Punjabi saying to convey his frustration: "We were robbed by our own; what strength had the enemy? My boat sank where the water was shallow."