Manmohan makes rare visit to Arunachal Pradesh

By Biswajyoti Das

ITANAGAR (Reuters) - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised a new effort to develop the remote mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, on a rare visit to the state which China claims as its territory.

Singh's two-day visit comes two weeks after he visited China in a trip designed to strengthen economic ties between the two giant neighbours and cool mutual suspicions over a border dispute which has dragged on for more than half a century.

"The sun kisses India first in Arunachal Pradesh," Singh said at a public rally in Itanagar, the state capital. "It is our land of the rising sun."

Around 50,000 people in tribal dress attended Singh's rally, the first trip to the state by a prime minister in 11 years.

Most of the people in the state belong to tribal communities, and many are Buddhists. Some complain that the Indian government has neglected their state, and envy the rapid development seen in the Tibet region of China, just across the border.

"We want better road communication and permanent settlement on the border dispute with China," said Tana Atung, a civil contractor, who came to the rally out of curiosity.

India and China fought a brief war in 1962 over the disputed border that has remained a stumbling block to better ties between the world's two most populous nations.

Several rounds of talks over the 3,500-km Himalayan frontier have made little headway.