(Tim Stickings's article from the DAILY MAIL
UK on 17 November 2020.)
The electromagnetic weapons which cook
the human tissue of enemy troops 'turned the mountain tops into a microwave
oven' and made the Indian soldiers vomit, international studies expert Jin
Canrong told his students in Beijing.
The microwave weapons heat water molecules in the same way as the kitchen appliance, targeting water under the skin and causing increasing amounts of pain to the target from ranges of up to 0.6 miles away.
Jin hailed the Chinese forces for 'beautifully' executing the move which cleared out Indian troops without violating a ban on gunfire along the disputed border. It is the first known use of microwave weapons on a battlefield.According to The Times, the weapons were said to have been deployed in late August, weeks after a deadly brawl involving rocks and clubs which killed at least 20 Indian soldiers and brought the two nuclear-armed powers closer to war than they have been in 53 years on one of the world's highest-altitude battlefields.
Pictures
which circulated earlier this year appeared to show Indian troops battered and
bound with rope near the disputed Himalayan border, where China is said to have
used a microwave-style weapon to disperse hostile soldiers in August
China's
so-called Poly WB-1, a type of 'microwave' weapon, which was first put on
display at an air show in 2014. The US equivalent, the Active Denial System,
was once deployed to Afghanistan but was withdrawn apparently without ever
being used against human targets.
Microwave
weapons are touted by China as 'non-lethal, energy-directed weapons' that cause
an 'instant burning sensation and make the targets run away'. Also described as
'heat rays', they work by heating water molecules under the skin, causing a
burning feeling which stops when the target leaves the area.
The
sensation was once described in a medical journal as equivalent to touching a
hot lightbulb. The tools are known as
'microwave' weapons because they have a similar effect to the kitchen
appliances, although technically the radiation is in the form of millimetre
waves rather than microwaves.
China's
so-called Poly WB-1 was first put on display at an air show in 2014 and was
thought to be supplied to Chinese naval forces. The US government, which
developed its own version called the Active Denial System, says it could be
used for 'crowd control, crowd dispersal, convoy and patrol protection,
checkpoint security, perimeter security' and other objectives. The weapon was
unveiled in 2007 and deployed to Afghanistan but apparently never used against
hostile troops.
Jin told his students that within 15
minutes of the weapons being deployed, 'those occupying the hilltops all began
to vomit. They couldn't stand up, so they fled. This was how we retook the
ground,' he explained.
China's forces decided to use the weapons because the altitude was too high to fight against a team of Tibetan mountaineering specialists, Jin said. Gunfire is banned under an old agreement, although there were warning shots in September in an exchange of fire which both sides blamed on each other.
While
the US has also developed microwave-style weapons, China's alleged use of them
may be the first against enemy troops anywhere in the world. Also envisioned
for use in crowd control, the weapon works by heating the water under the skin
to painful temperatures which force people out of the area.
The
sensation was once described in a medical journal as equivalent to touching a
hot lightbulb. Overexposure to radiation can also cause headaches, nausea and
vomiting. There is some suspicion that similar weapons were used against US
diplomatic personnel who mysteriously fell ill in China and Cuba in a series of
incidents beginning in 2016.
America's
equivalent 'heat ray', the Active Denial System, was unveiled in 2007 and
deployed to Afghanistan but apparently never used against hostile troops. The
Pentagon touted it as 'the first non-lethal, directed-energy, counter-personnel
system with an extended range greater than currently fielded non-lethal
weapons'.
Fears
of a political backlash were thought to have contributed to its withdrawal from
Afghanistan, although the US government said it complied with international
law. News of the weapon's alleged use in
the Himalayas comes as China and India discuss ways to de-escalate tensions on
the rugged mountain frontier.
The
nuclear-armed neighbours have deployed tens of thousands of troops since
tensions erupted into the deadly medieval-style clash in June. India said 20 of
its soldiers were killed in the night-time brawl which is thought to have
involved up to 900 soldiers, while China acknowledged casualties but did not
give figures.
Post-mortems
showed that the 'primary reason for death is drowning and it looks like they
fell from a height into the water because of head injuries,' one Indian
official said. Both sides blamed each other for provoking the conflict, while
the US took India's side by offering 'deepest condolences' to the soldiers
killed.
The
two sides are now discussing a staggered disengagement from the border area
where temperatures have dropped to -18C, Indian officials said. 'We have a firm plan for disengagement on the
table, it is being internally discussed on both sides,' said one of the
officials.
Under
the plan that was shared during a meeting of top commanders last Friday, both
sides will pull back from the contested Pangong Tso lake area and establish a
buffer zone. Chinese soldiers will dismantle defence structures on several
hilly spurs overlooking the lake and pull back, officials briefed on the
discussions said.
India, which has occupied heights on the lake's south bank, will also withdraw. Both sides will cease patrolling certain sections. The two countries fought a full-scale war in 1962 and both continue to lay claim to thousands of square miles of territory.
