BEIJING: A teenager from India’s northeastern Arunachal Pradesh state who entered “illegally” into Chinese territory at disputed border has been returned by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
In a statement, a spokesman for the Western Theater Command, Colonel Long Shaohua said that the Indian citizen was found in recent days by Chinese border guards during a patrol.
“The individual illegally entered Chinese territory and then was routinely questioned, quarantined and observed in accordance with relevant border control regulations, and given humanitarian assistance,” Long said in the statement posted on the official WeChat account of the Western Theater of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The individual was returned following discussions between the Indian military and the Chinese side after India first asked China to assist in a search, he said.
Thursday’s announcement from China came after India’s defence ministry said last week it had contacted China to request that it locate and return a 17-year-old Indian Miram Tarom, who had been “reportedly captured” by the Chinese military after going missing near the countries’ shared border.
“We urge the Indian side to strictly implement bilateral agreements, strengthen personnel management and control, and earnestly maintain normal order in the border areas,” the China’s spokesman concluded.
India and China have frequently clashed over their long and disputed Himalayan border, and China claims the entirety of Arunachal Pradesh as part of its Tibet region.
