China hands over 5 Indians who went missing from Arunachal

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, September 12

Five Arunachali youths, whose disappearance had triggered off a diplomatic row between India and China, were handed over to Indian Army by the Chinese PLA on Saturday.

“Absolutely glad to know that five of our Arunachali youths have been safely handed over to Indian Army by Chinese PLA. I am wholeheartedly thankful to the Govt of India and the Indian Army for their persistent effort in securing their return,” Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said in a tweet.

“I appreciate Indian Army for the smooth return of our citizens. I thank Indian Army Chief, his office and the local Commanders for constantly following up the matter and regularly updating me on the matter,” tweeted Kiren Rijiju, Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh and Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Welfare.

The local media had initially reported that the youths were “abducted” by PLA. The Army today said the boys had “inadvertently strayed to the other side of LAC”.

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According to Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande, spokesman of the Army’s Tezpur-headquartered 4 Corps, instances of Indian nationals unknowingly trespassing into Chinese side of the LAC and landing in the custody of the PLA were not uncommon.

“Three such incidents took place in the current year in Upper Subansiri and West Siang districts, including the latest one. All such individuals were brought back home safely after consistent efforts and coordination by Indian Army”, Pande said.

The latest incident also received a lot of media attention owing to the ongoing stand-off between the Indian Army and the PLA at Ladakh. 

The five boys, who were taken into custody by PLA on September 2, were handed over to the Army this morning at Kibitu on the Indian side of the Indo-China border at Arunachal Pradesh.

The youths – Toch Singkam, Prasat Ringling, Dongtu Ebiya, Tanu Baker and Ngaru Diri – belong to the Nacho area in Upper Subansiri district. They will be now quarantined for 14 days at Kibitu and thereafter will be sent back to their respective families.

Sources said the boys went to the LAC accompanying army personnel as porters and strayed into the Chinese side when they were returning to Nacho. Army spokesman Pande, however, claimed the boys went to the forest for hunting, which for them was a traditional sport, and also to search for medicinal herbs.

China had initially feigned ignorance about the missing boys and even questioned their nationality saying it did not recognise the “so called Arunachal Pradesh which was actually south Tibet”. However, on September 8 PLA confirmed that the boys were indeed in their custody.