Against the backdrop of Houthi rebels stepping up attacks on ships in the Red Sea, India on December 29 said it is carefully evaluating all aspects of the unfolding situation in that region. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also said India is not part of any multilateral initiative or operation in and around the Red Sea.
There have been increasing global concerns over the Houthi militants targeting various cargo vessels in the Red Sea amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. "As we said earlier, we value the free movement of commercial shipping, which is one of the fundamental principles underpinning global commerce," Bagchi said at his weekly media briefing while responding to a question.
"We are carefully evaluating all aspects of the unfolding situation in that region. Our defence forces are taking necessary measures in this regard," he added. Without elaborating, Bagchi said the defence forces are taking the required measures.
The Indian Navy on December 26 said it has commenced focused maritime security operations in the Arabian sea in view of recent incidents in the region, including an attack on merchant vessel MV Chem Pluto. The Liberian-flagged vessel was the target of a drone attack off India's west coast last Saturday, triggering security concerns.
Besides MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker — MV Sai Baba, which was on the way to India — came under a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. In view of the spate of attacks on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea, the Navy has deployed the P-8I long-range patrol aircraft for surveillance, and warships INS Mormugao, INS Kochi and INS Kolkata in the region.
Asked about media reports claiming that the Rezang La memorial in eastern Ladakh was dismantled as part of the disengagement process with China, Bagchi said any imputation that there has been any change in it is "incorrect". "Many of you know that there is a long-standing memorial (dedicated) to the heroes of Rezang La on the border. Any imputation that there has been any change in that monument is incorrect," the MEA spokesperson said.
Sources in the Army also said there has been no change to the memorial. The Rezang La memorial is dedicated to the Army personnel, including Major Shaitan Singh, who fought against an overwhelming number of Chinese troops during the 1962 war. .
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