New Tibetan front in India-China border stand-off as five Indians ‘abducted’ in Arunachal Pradesh

Family members say youths in the Indian border state of Arunachal Pradesh, known to China as ‘South Tibet’, have been abducted by Chinese PLA soldiers

News, which follows killing of a Tibetan special forces soldier, threatens to widen dispute and may prompt Delhi to ‘play the Tibet card’, analysts say

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Indian Army personnel at Bumla pass at the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:22pm, 7 Sep 2020Updated: 12:00am, 8 Sep 2020

Just two days after the first high-level meeting between Indian and Chinese defence ministers ended with both trading charges against each other, a new point of friction has emerged between the two neighbours.

Five Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh, the Indian north-eastern state along the border with China have gone missing, with their family members alleging that they were abducted by soldiers from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

While the Indian government and army are yet to break their silence on the matter, Kiren Rijiju, the sports minister in the Narendra Modi government, said on Sunday night the army had sent a message to the PLA via a military hotline meant to defuse tensions and were awaiting a response.

Chinese troops carry out military exercises near the Indian border as the tension over the border dispute lingers. Photo: qq.com

But asked about the incident by an journalist from Indian media during a regular press briefing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he was not aware of the matter.

“China’s position on the eastern section of the China-India border, that is, the southern Tibet region of China, is consistent and clear. We have never recognised ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ [which is] illegally established on Chinese territory,” Zhao said.

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