China is on the back foot ever since the Union government started talking in the language that the Communists understand the best. From giving the wussies of PLA a bloody nose in Doklam, Galwan valley and now Pangong-Tso, Beijing has got one drubbing after another. And as a retaliatory measure, China is now resorting to its nefarious hostage-diplomacy ahead of meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Moscow on the sidelines of SCO.
It is being reported that the PLA troops have captured 5 Arunachali youths from the jungles and are keeping them captive. The 5 youths have been identified as Toch Singkam, Prasat Ringling, Dongtu Ebiya, Tanu Baker and Ngaru Diri. The Arunachal villagers had gone for hunting in a jungle when they were allegedly abducted by the PLA.
Two members of the group reportedly returned home and informed that they had been whisked away by the Chinese troops from Sera-7, an Army patrol zone located about 12 km further north of Nacho, which is the last administrative circle along the McMahon Line and is around 120 km from the district headquarters Daporijo.
The top-brass of government quickly went into action-mode and Union Sports Minister and an MP from the Arunachal West constituency Kiren Rijiju informed that the youths had been located.
“China’s PLA has responded to the hotline message sent by the Indian Army. They have confirmed that the missing youths from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side. Further modalities to handover the persons to our authority is being worked out,” the Minister tweeted on Tuesday evening.
China's PLA has responded to the hotline message sent by Indian Army. They have confirmed that the missing youths from Arunachal Pradesh have been found by their side. Further modalities to handover the persons to our authority is being worked out.
— Kiren Rijiju (मोदी का परिवार) (@KirenRijiju) September 8, 2020
Hostage diplomacy is China’s bread and butter when it comes to settling political scores with its opponents. Reported by TFI, China had tried to perform a similar vile tactic on Australian journalists. Bill Birtles of Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Mike Smith of Australian Financial Review were the two journalists who had a narrow escape from the clutches of the Chinese security agencies.
While China and its PLA are being troublesome in handing over the citizens of India, their Indian counterparts had respectfully returned a herd of Yak that had crossed over into the country, even when 1,500 km away, human soldiers from both India and China were facing off on the south of the Pangong Lake in Ladakh.
Although the Yaks could very well have been sent for espionage activities by the Chinese, the Indian army after doing the due-diligence, sent the animals to the other side of the border and showed that it was indeed a good-samaritan. Concerns over animals being used for espionage and even covert action are not new and these measures date decades back in the 20th century.
This petty incident that China is indulging in shows that New Delhi is indeed hitting Beijing where it hurts the most. CCP’s mouthpiece Global Times has been churning up mind-numbing editorials after editorials to paint an image of a mighty-dragon, but alas, all that the paper dragon is capable of doing is abducting weaponless and innocent civilians and then use it to get its way in a diplomatic level meeting.
