China On Missing Arunachal Youth: Not Aware, PLA Cracks Down On ‘Illegal Entry & Exit Activities’

The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s response comes after the Indian Army sought assistance from the PLA to locate the missing boy on their side and return him as per established protocol.

Miram Taron | Photo: Twitter/@TapirGao

New Delhi: China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday stated that it was not aware of the incident in which the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly abducted a 17-year-old youth from Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district.

Adding to this, the ministry said that the PLA controls the borders and cracks down on “illegal entry and exit activities”, news agency PTI reported.

Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao had on Wednesday alleged that a teenager, identified as Miram Taron, was abducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Lungta Jor area under Siyungla area on Tuesday.

The youth was abducted from inside Indian territory in the state’s Upper Siang district, Gao said.

Taron’s friend Johny Yaiying, who managed to escape, informed the authorities about the kidnapping by the PLA, Gao wrote on Twitter.

On Thursday, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry was asked for his reaction to the allegation of the PLA abducting Taron. He said: “I don’t know the situation”. 

“The Chinese People’s Liberation Army controls borders in accordance with the law and cracks down on illegal entry and exit activities,” the spokesperson said, as quoted by PTI.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry’s response comes after the Indian Army sought assistance from the PLA to locate the missing boy on their side and return him as per established protocol, sources in the defence establishment told PTI.

They informed that when the Indian Army received the information about Taron, it immediately contacted the PLA through an established mechanism of hotline informing that an individual, who was collecting herbs and hunting, had lost his way and cannot be found.

Assistance from the PLA has been sought to locate the individual on their side and return him as per established protocol, sources noted.

According to Arunachal Pradesh MP Tapir Gao, the incident occurred near the place where Tsangpo river enters India. Tsangpo is called Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra in Assam.

He had also said that he informed Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik about the incident and requested him to take necessary action in this regard.

In September 2020, the PLA had abducted five youths from Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district and released them after about a week.

The latest incident comes at a time when the Indian Army continues to be engaged in a stand-off with the PLA in eastern Ladakh since April 2020.

There have been 14 rounds of military-level talks between India and China to resolve the standoff.

(With Agency Inputs)