Reports of Chinese incursions in the Ladakh area of Jammu and Kashmir which are now being highlighted by the media are in fact as old as January 2009, according to an official communication sent that month by the district magistrate of Leh to his superiors in the state.

According to the contents of a letter sent by Ajeet Kumar Sahu, district magistrate of Leh, to the divisional commissioner of Kashmir on January 4 this year, reports of incursions by the Chinese army into the Indian territory had been brought to his notice by shepherds and villagers living close to the international border.