FILE
Indian Army on Tuesday night handed over a Chinese soldier, who was apprehended in the Demchok sector of Eastern Ladakh, to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) at the Chushul Moldo meeting point. The Chinese soldier, identified as Wang Ya Long, had strayed across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on Monday. The PLA soldier was interrogated on how he crossed over to the Indian side.
He was provided medical assistance including oxygen, food and warm clothes to protection against vagaries of extreme altitude and harsh climatic conditions.
On Tuesday, China had expressed hope that its missing soldier will be released soon. Officials from Beijing said that the soldier got lost in the India-China border areas while he was helping local herdsmen retrieve a yak.
"China hopes that India will hand over soon the Chinese soldier who got lost in China-India border areas on the evening of October 18 when helping local herdsmen retrieve a yak at their request," said Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesperson for the Western Theater Command of the PLA said in a statement.
"The PLA border troops informed the Indian military right after the incident and hoped the Indian side would aid in search and rescue, and the Indian side promised to offer help and return the missing soldier timely after finding him,” he said.
"We hope that the Indian side will live up to its promise to hand over the missing Chinese soldier as soon as possible and implement the consensus reached by the two sides in the 7th round of Senior Commanders meeting, so as to maintain peace and tranquillity in the border areas," Zhang said.
