China to hand over 5 missing Arunachal boys today: Kiren Rijiju

Union Minister Kiren Rijuju (Image Credit: Twitter)

GUWAHATI: China will be handing over the five boys from Arunachal Pradesh, missing since September 1, to India on Saturday at a designated location, union minister of state for sports and youth affairs and Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Kiren Rijiju said in a tweet.

“The Chinese PLA has confirmed to Indian Army to hand over the youths from Arunachal Pradesh to our side. The handing over is likely to take place anytime tomorrow i.e. 12th September 2020 at a designated location,” Rijiju tweeted.

The Chinese PLA has confirmed to Indian Army to hand over the youths from Arunachal Pradesh to our side. The handing over is likely to take place anytime tomorrow i.e. 12th September 2020 at a designated location. https://t.co/UaM9IIZl56

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 11, 2020

Prakash Ringling, the elder brother of Prasad, one of the missing boys, told TIH, “Yesterday we enquired with the Army and we were told that the formalities for the process was on, and China would hand them over any moment.”

China and India do not have any extradition treaty. An agreement between the two countries on Border Defence Cooperation signed on October 23, 2013, says “... to assist the other side in locating personnel, livestock, means of transport and aerial vehicles that may have crossed or are possibly in the process of crossing the Line of Actual Control in the India-China border areas.”

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On September 8 Rijiju in his tweet informed that the Chinese PLA has confirmed the presence of the five on its soil, a day after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian denied having any knowledge about the youths.

The same day, defence PRO from 4th Corps headquarters at Tezpur in Assam, Lt Col Harsh Wardhan Pande had added that the missing five from the Indian side of LAC in Upper Subansiri, who had inadvertently crossed over to the other side on Sept 1 were traced and formalities for their early transfer were being coordinated with the Chinese Army.

Prakash had first sent the message about the alleged abduction on September 4. Seven youths from Nacho town in Upper Subansiri district had gone to the border area and two of their friends, who managed to return home, told villagers that the five have been abducted from Sera-7 area, an Army patrolling area located on the border.

On Friday, Prakash Ringling said in an FB post that his brother, Prasad, and four others have been “abducted” from Sera-7 by “Chinese PLA.” The other four are Tanu Bakar, Ngaru Diri, Dongtu Ebiya and Toch Singkam.

Congress MLA from Pasighat and former Union minister Ninong Ering and BJP MP Tapir Gao soon shared Ringling’s message on social media.

Source: TOI