Indian Army takes up abducted Arunachal boy's case with PLA

The Indian Army contacted the People's Liberation Army (PLA) through hotline and sought the return of abducted Arunachal Pradesh teenager Miram Taron. This is the second such incident since 2020 and China is using this tactic to buttress its "claim" on Arunachal Pradesh.
Defence ministry PRO in Tezpur tweeted, "17 yr old youth Miram Taron of Zido, Arunachal Pradesh was reportedly captured by PLA across the LAC. On receipt of info, Indian Army imdtly contacted PLA through a hotline. Assistance from PLA has been sought to locate and return him as per protocol."

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi is keeping a close watch on the development, ET has learnt.

Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu told media persons in Itanagar, "The defence ministry has taken up the matter. I am optimistic that the youth will be released and return to his village soon."

Arunachal health minister Alo Libang, who is also the local MLA, said this incident took place on January 18. The youth belonged to Zido and was a hunter. "The Army and the Centre have taken up the matter. We hope that the youth will return soon."

Arunachal BJP MP Tapir Gao had tweeted, "Chinese #PLA has abducted Sh Miram Taron, 17 years of Zido vill. yesterday 18th Jan 2022 from inside Indian territory, Lungta Jor area (China built 3-4 kms road inside India in 2018) under Siyungla area (Bishing village) of Upper Siang dist, Arunachal Pradesh."

In September 2020, the PLA had kidnapped five boys from Arunachal Pradesh's Upper Subansiri district and released them after about a week.

Beijing claims 90,000 sq km of areas in Arunachal Pradesh as part of the territory of China and calls it Zangnan or south Tibet. Recently, China renamed 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh to reaffirm its claim on the state. Subsequently, the MEA, in a sharply worded response, noted, "Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact."

The 15 places, which the Chinese Government renamed, included eight residential places, four mountains, two rivers and a mountain pass in Arunachal Pradesh.

Beijing's latest attempt to assert its territorial claim came almost six-and-a-half-years after India dismissed a similar move by China in April 2017 to rename six places in Arunachal Pradesh. The MEA spokesman had then said, "Assigning invented names to the towns of your neighbours does not make illegal territorial claims legal".

In October, China introduced a new Land Border Law, which will come into force on January 1, 2022.

Just as its Maritime Police Law and Maritime Traffic Safety Law signalled its intent to aggressively assert its expansive claims on South China Sea and East China Sea, its new Land Border Law too indicates China's resolve to manage its demarcated boundaries with other nations and seek settlement of the boundary disputes with India and Bhutan on its own terms.

Its emphasis on the development of villages in the border areas and the role of civilians in protecting the sovereignty indicates that China would expand settlements all along its disputed boundaries with India and Bhutan.