Itanagar: Asserting that Arunachalee youth Miram Taron had “illegally entered Chinese territory”, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has asked its Indian counterpart to “enhance its personnel management and control in the border region”.
The reaction from the PLA came a few hours after it handed over Taron to the Indian Army on Thursday.
“We urge the Indian side to strictly abide by the bilateral protocols and agreements, enhance personnel management and control, and practically safeguard the normal order in the border region,” Senior Colonel Long Shaohua, a spokesperson at the Chinese PLA Western Theater Command was quoted as saying by the Global Times, a state-affiliated media outlet of China.
According to the Global Times report, Taron was found by the Chinese troops in a recent patrol in Medog County of Xizang, China.
“The Indian personnel was found by the Chinese border defense troops in a recent patrol in Medog County of Xizang, China. According to relevant regulations on border management and control, the Chinese border defense troops carried out a routine inquiry and an epidemic prevention quarantine, and provided humanitarian aid,” the report said, quoting a statement from Long.
Medog County is located southeast of Xizang (Tibet Autonomous Region) and at the lower branch of Yarlung Tsangpo River (Siang in Arunachal and Brahmaputra in Assam).
China incidentally claims Arunachal to be a part of South Tibet and therefore a part of China.
Taron was allegedly taken captive by the PLA from the Siyungla area of Bishing village on January 18 where he had gone hunting along with his friend Jhonny Yaying.
Yaying had managed to escape the scene and report the same to authorities.
The incident was later brought to light by Arunachal East MP Tapir Gao who also alleged that Taron had been abducted by the PLA from Indian Territory.
Gao’s claim was also backed by Taron’s father and the locals of Jido village who claimed that the area where Taron and his friend had gone hunting is the traditional hunting ground of the Adi people and was well inside Indian Territory.
Following the incident the Indian Army had sent a hotline message to its Chinese counterpart, to which the latter had on January 20, responded and confirmed that “a boy” had been found on their side.
The Indian Army had then shared personal details and photos of Taron to assist the Chinese side in establishing his identity.
The PLA handed over Taron to the Indian Army at the Wacha interaction point near the Kibithu border in Anjaw district on Thursday.
This is the same point where the Chinese Army had handed over the five youths who were allegedly abducted by them in 2020 from the Sera-7 area of Nacho circle in Upper Subansiri district.
