History of Arunachal Pradesh

The first ancestors of the tribal groups migrated from Tibet during the pre-historic period.

Northwestern parts of this area came under the control of the Monpa kingdom of Monyul, which flourished between 500 B.C. and 600 A.D. This region then came under the loose control of Tibet, especially in the Northern areas.

In 1913-14, the British administrator, Sir Henry McMahon, drew up the 550-mile McMahon Line as the border between British India and Tibet during the Simla Conference. The Tibetan and British representatives at the conference agreed to the line, but the Chinese representative refused to accept the line.

The NEFA (North East Frontier Agency) was created in 1954. During the war in 1962 PRC captured most of the NEFA. However, the PRC voluntarily withdrew back to the McMahon Line and returned Indian prisoners of war in 1963 when it become clear that United States was serious about it's intentions.

Arunachal Pradesh was administered as the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) until 1972, when it became the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh. It was given full statehood in November 1986.

China has since annexed Tibet and populated the region with ethnic Chinese Han people; it's preferred method of oppressing captured people, and a success in Northwest China. China's own captive labor force and the global need for cheap labor gives it enormous monetary clout in the world currently. Any decline in Western military power before end of Chinese communism has potential for trouble in this region. A nuclear India will serve as a valuable deterrent.