NEW DELHI: A Chinese soldier was on Friday apprehended on the Indian side of the LAC in Ladakh. He was taken into custody by Indian troops, officials said today. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier is being dealt with according to laid down procedures and the circumstances under which he crossed the LAC are being investigated, the sources said.
“During early hours of 08 January 21, a Chinese soldier was apprehended on the Indian Side of the LAC, in Ladakh, in area South of Pangong Tso lake. The PLA soldier had transgressed across the LAC and was taken into custody by Indian troops deployed in this area,” an official said.
“The PLA soldier is being dealt with as per laid down procedures and circumstances under which he had crossed the LAC are being investigated. Further details are awaited,” the official added.
This is the second such case of a Chinese soldier straying across the LAC since October last year. In that month, a PLA soldier, identified as Wang Ya Long, was caught by Indian forces in eastern Ladakh’s Demchok sector. He was repatriated shortly after by the Indian Army.
Troops from either side have been deployed along the LAC since friction erupted last year due to unprecedented mobilisation and forward concentration by Chinese troops.
The tension between India and China in eastern Ladakh peaked in June 2020 in a clash that left 20 Indian soldiers dead and an unspecified number of Chinese casualties. The two countries have moved tens of thousands of troops and weapons into the high-altitude region since March and several rounds of talks have failed to significantly ease tensions.
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