India-China border dispute: PLA soldier apprehended in Indian-controlled territory
- Corporal Wang Ya Long had ‘strayed’ into the Demchok area of Ladakh, according to a statement from the Indian army
- Wang is to be released soon and was given medical assistance including oxygen and food
Corporal Wang Ya Long from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was apprehended in the Indian-controlled Demchok area of Ladakh, near one of the last Indian villages before the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian army said in a statement, adding that he was to be released soon.
Thousands of troops have been locked in a tense stand-off along the 3,488km undemarcated LAC since early May, after Chinese troops objected to Indian authorities’ construction of a road close to the border. There have since been more than 18 rounds of talks between the two sides, though a breakthrough remains elusive.
In early September, five Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh were apprehended and subsequently released by Chinese authorities after they had inadvertently crossed to the Chinese side of the LAC.
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China-India border dispute: China frees detained Indians after sides agree to ‘quickly disengage’
While both India and China remained silent about their captured soldiers at the time, the Indian army’s statement saying Wang would be released came hours after he was apprehended.
