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Arunachal boy missing: Union minister Rijiju says received positive response from Chinese army
The Chinese side has also suggested a place for the handover and are likely to share the date and time soon, Rijiju added.
China’s Peoples’ Liberation Army (PLA) has responded positively to the Indian Army’s request to hand over the Indian citizen who was located on their side recently, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday, days after a teen from Arunachal Pradesh went missing from near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
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The Chinese side has also suggested a place for the handover and are likely to share the date and time soon, he added.
Taking to Twitter, Rijiju said: “Hotline exchanged on Republic Day by Indian Army with Chinese PLA. PLA responded positively indicating handing over of our national and suggested a place of release.”
“They are likely to intimate date and time soon. Delay attributed to bad weather conditions on their side,” he added.
The Indian Army had earlier sought assistance from PLA after Miram Taron, a 17-year-old native of Zido village in Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, went missing from near the LAC on January 18. The teen, officials believe, was allegedly abducted by PLA when he and a few others went hunting in the area.
India and China have been locked in a standoff since mid-2020 along the LAC in Ladakh. There have also been reports of Chinese activity near the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, including efforts by Beijing to develop villages in the area.
On Sunday, PLA informed India that an “Indian boy” was found on their side but was unable to confirm his identity.
However, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Arunachal East, Tapir Gao, who had earlier tweeted about the alleged abduction, claimed the teen found by the PLA was Taron.
On Tuesday, Rijiju announced that India had shared details of the missing teenager with PLA to confirm the identity of the youth in their custody.
In September 2020, five young men from the Tagin tribe, who worked as porters for the Indian Army, went missing from Upper Subansiri district on the Indian side of the McMahon line, bifurcating Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet autonomous region (TAR) of China.
Following their disappearance, the brother of one of the men claimed on social media that they had been abducted by PLA. The same accusation was made by Gao and Congress MLA Ninong Ering from Pasighat.
It was later revealed that the men had strayed across the border during a hunting expedition. They were handed back to India after 10 days.
