China's PLA hands over 5 missing Arunachal youths to Indian Army

The photos of five missing youths. Credit: Indian Army

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China handed over five youths from Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday morning to the Indian army, 10 days after they "inadvertently crossed over to their side" in Upper Subansiri district.

Lt. Col. Harshwardhan Pande, the public relations officer (defence), posted at Army's 4 Corps headquarters at Tezpur in neighbouring Assam told DH that the five youths were handed over to the Indian army at Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh's Anjaw district.

"They will now be quarantined for 14 days as per Covid-19 protocol and will thereafter be handed over to their family members," he said.

Kibithu, situated atop 4,070 feet is a border trijunction with China on its North and Myanmar on the east. It is about 800-km east of the place where the youths had reportedly gone missing on September 2.

Pande had earlier said the five hunters had inadvertently crossed over to the other side on September 2. A Chinese government spokesperson, however, had on September 7 denied having any information about them but the next day PLA confirmed to Indian army that the youths were in their side.

The matter came to light after Prakash Ringling, brother of Prasad Ringling, one of the youths, posted in Facebook on September 4 that five persons including his brother from Nacho circle in Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh were abducted by troops of PLA from a remote location called Sera-7.

The McMahon Line between India and China is about 100km from Sera 7, a remote location having no road and telephone network.

Pande said following the reports, Indian Army approached PLA on the hotline to trace and return them. On September 8, response on the hotline confirmed that the missing individuals had been traced, he said.

Pande further sais this was the third such incident this year so far reported from Upper Subansiri and West Siang district. "All such individuals were brought back home safely after consistent efforts and coordination by Indian Army," Pande said.

The McMahon Line demarcates the boundary between the Tibet autonomous region of China and Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as its own. The McMahon Line is not properly demarcated and small cement pillars erected on the Indian side often get covered under jungles thereby resulting in confusion and tension.