E-Paper
PLA soldier strays across contested LAC in Ladakh, held
The army identified the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier as Corporal Wang Ya Long. It said it had received a request from the PLA about the whereabouts of the missing soldier.
The Indian Army on Monday apprehended a Chinese soldier in eastern Ladakh’s Demchok sector after he strayed across the contested Line of Actual Control (LAC), the army said a statement, amid the ongoing border tensions with China in the sensitive theatre where both armies have deployed more than 50,000 soldiers each along with advanced weapons and systems.
The army identified the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier as Corporal Wang Ya Long. It said it had received a request from the PLA about the whereabouts of the missing soldier.
The army plans to hand over the soldier to the PLA soon.
“As per established protocols, he will be returned to Chinese officials at the Chushul-Moldo meeting point after completion of formalities,” the army statement said.
The Chushul-Moldo meeting point is where senior commanders from both armies have been holding military talks to reduce friction in the eastern Ladakh theatre.
The army said Corporal Wang had been provided medical assistance including oxygen, food and warm clothes to protect him “from the vagaries of extreme altitude and harsh climatic conditions”. The soldier will undergo a thorough medical examination before he is handed over to the PLA in a day or two, officials said.
Indian and Chinese military commanders met for the seventh time on October 12 in their latest attempt to defuse tensions. The Indian side demanded comprehensive disengagement at all flashpoints and restoration of status quo ante of early April during the talks.
The two sides agreed to continue with the dialogue process to arrive at a mutually-acceptable solution for early disengagement in the eastern Ladakh theatre, said a joint press statement issued a day after the talks.
They said they had a better understanding of each other’s positions in the sector after the latest round of talks.
India and China are expected to hold the eight round of military talks this week, although a date has not been announced yet.
The situation in the eastern Ladakh theatre will also figure prominently on the agenda for the upcoming Army commanders’ conference that will be held in New Delhi from October 26-29. The border row is in its sixth month and efforts to disengage and de-escalate have yielded no results.
