Itanagar: There is no trace of the young Arunachal man, Miram Taron (17), who was reportedly abducted by the Chinese army from Lungta Jor area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district even as the Indian Army has sought assistance from PLA to locate and return him as per established protocol, official sources said on Thursday.
The teenager, a native of Zido village in Upper Siang district, was abducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from the Lungta Jor area on the Indo-China border on Tuesday. The incident occurred when two youths from the village went there for hunting. However, Miram’s friend Johny Yaying (27) escaped from the PLA and reported to the authorities, the officials said.
Confirming that the Ministry of Defence, Govt of India through its diplomatic channel, MEA, started talks with its Chinese counterpart on the matter, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday exuded confidence that the boy will be released soon.
“I am very optimistic that within a few days, the boy reportedly abducted by Chinese PLA would be released soon,” said Khandu while talking to reporters on the sidelines of a state function at Ziro in Lower Subansiri district.
Earlier, Defence sources said that the Indian Army has sought assistance from the PLA to locate the ‘missing’ youth from Arunachal Pradesh on their side and return him as per established protocol.
“Regarding the incident of the missing youth named Miram Taron from Arunachal Pradesh, it is informed that on receipt of the information, the Indian Army immediately contacted the PLA through an established mechanism of hotline informing that an individual, who was collecting herbs and hunting, has lost his way and cannot be found. Assistance from PLA has been sought to locate the individual on their side and return him as per established protocol,” the Defence sources said.
Meanwhile, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Congress Committee (APCC) has urged the Central Government’s early intervention to safely bring back the young Arunachalee from the PLA.
APCC working president and former minister Bosiram Siram claimed that there is “no protection” for the people living along the China border. “There are no protection, safety and security to their life and property from our side at present and they are panicky,” he said.
The Central Government should find out such a mechanism so that the people living on border areas are nicely protected and they should feel safe and secured, the senior Congress leader suggested, while adding that such incidents should not happen in near future.
Expressing its resentment over the Upper Siang incident, the All Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union (AAPSU) said, “The oft-repeated abductions of Arunachalee civilian by Chinese PLA is a matter of grave concern posing question mark to the internal security of the country”.
The Union Government should liaise with its Chinese counterpart for early and safe release of the boy, AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai said.
