The India Army on Wednesday handed back the detained People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier to China. According to reports, the soldier was questioned by Chinese officials before he was sent back. Notably, the soldier had inadvertently crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) Chumar-Demchok area of Ladakh sector on Monday. He was apprehended by the Indian Army.
Hour after, the PLA soldier was captured, the defence ministry in a statement had said that the soldier would be handed over to the Chinese army through establish protocols. The Chinese Army soldier was identified as Corporal Wang Ya Long. He was provided medical assistance, food and warm clothes by the Indian Army.
The Chinese Army had sent a request to the Indian Army about the whereabouts of the missing soldier. The soldier lost his way while helping local herdsmen retrieve a yak, a Chinese officer said in a statement on Monday night. The Chinese side had expressed hope that the Indian side would hand over the missing Chinese soldier as soon as possible.
India and China are locked in a standoff in Ladakh since May this year. The dispute escalated after 250 Chinese and Indian soldiers were engaged in a violent face-off on the evening of May 5. Similar incident took place in north Sikkim on May 9. Several Indian and Chinese troops were injured in the clashes.
On June 15, in the violent clash in Galwan valley area of Ladakh sector, 20 Indian army soldiers attained martyrdom, while double the number of PLA troops reportedly also killed. However, the Chinese government never disclosed the fatalities. Notably, India has now captured advantageous positions in the southern bank of Pangong Tso lake.
(Picture Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)
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