China questions nationality of missing Arunachal youths

Shubhadeep Choudhury

Tribune News Service

Kolkata, September 7

Reiterating its claim over Arunachal Pradesh, China on Monday refused to part with details “about five missing Indians”. 

“China has never recognised so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ which is China’s south Tibet region, and we have no details to release yet about question on Indian army sending a message to PLA about five missing Indians in the region: Chinese FM spokesperson Zhao Lijian,” said a tweet by the state-run Global Times paper of China.

Five youths from Nacho area of Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, who went to the Indo-China border with the Army as porters, were picked up by the Chinese PLA when the boys were on their way back to their villages.

The Incident, which took place on September 3, came to light on September 5 when local Congress MLA Ninong Erring sent out a tweet. Erring was alerted by an appeal posted on the Facebook by one of the five missing youth’s brother.

On Sunday, Kiren Rijiju, union of minister of state for youth welfare and sports, who is also a Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh, said in a tweet that Indian Army had passed on a message regarding the missing youths to PLA through the hotline. Response from PLA was awaited, Rijiju wrote.

Picking up of the youths by the PLA has been causing a lot of consternation in Arunachal Pradesh. The missing boys belong to the Tagin tribe. The All Tagin Students’ Union (ATSU), while condemning the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) for “abducting the “teenagers”, today accused the authorities of not paying attention to one of the most strategically important places in the country.

“Sacrifices and other assistance to the Indian Army by the Tagins during the 1962 war have never been acknowledged by the government and still today Tagin people live under the fear of Chinese aggression,” said the ATSU in a statement.

All Arunachal Pradesh Students Union (AAPSU), an organisation that claims to represent the interest of indigenous people, held an emergency meeting and said the Nacho incident reflected “the failure of the central as well as the state governments in protecting life and ensuring security of our people inhabiting the border areas”.

Earlier today, an Arunachal Pradesh government spokesperson said they were closely monitoring the case. District Administration has been directed to assist all concerned agencies to trace the missing boys, the spokesperson added.

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