Arunachal Pradesh: All five men were missing since September 1
New Delhi:
The center said today that China has confirmed that five missing men from Arunachal Pradesh have been found “on their side” and that the process to bring them to India is underway.
“The PLA of China has responded to the hotline message sent by the Indian military. They have confirmed that missing youth from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side. New modalities are being worked out to hand over people to our authority.” Union Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted.
China’s PLA has responded to the hotline message sent by the Indian military. They have confirmed that the missing youth from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side. New modalities are being developed to hand over people to our authority.
– Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) September 8, 2020
The five men who had been missing since 1 September were part of a group of porters carrying essentials for a long-range patrol of the Indian Army heading for the McMahon Line. The men, who are between 18 and 22 years old, were students.
Some relatives of the men said that they had gone to the border as part-time porters and that they may have gone astray in search of traditional herbs in the mountains.
“The Chinese military responded today to a message from the hotline, where they relayed to us that the five missing men had been found on their side of the border. It appears that they had drifted away. We have now started the process of handing them over to,” he told NDTV’s defense spokesman, Lt. Col. Harshwardhan Pande.
Long-range patrols (LRPs) are common at all strategic points along the McMahon Line, the effective border between India and China.
An Indian Army LRP in the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh can support itself from a week to a month. These units move with a load of rations and medicines as they climb the mountains. The locals act as porters, guides and explorers and receive fees for their service.
In Upper Subansiri district, remote areas such as Siyum, Nacho, Limeking and Taksing are where villagers come from to help the army and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) conduct long-range patrols. LRPs are frequently shipped to Rijala, Tongdara Pass, and Kodo Pass on the McMahon Line.
The ITBP sends at least two LRPs in a year, while the army sends three or four of them, the sources said.
In June this year, a 35-year-old porter died after a fall while walking as part of a group of porters with the army LRP towards the Rijala Pass in Upper Subansiri district, sources said.
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