A Chinese soldier was intercepted by the Indian Army on the southern bank of Pangong Tso in eastern Ladakh on Friday in a second incident of almost three months. He had transgressed over the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), according to official reports on Saturday.
According to reports, the PLA soldier broke through the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and was taken into custody. The capturing of the soldier comes in the middle of a major deployment of troops by the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in eastern Ladakh, in view of the tense border standoff that erupted after a confrontation between the two sides in the Pangong Lake region in early May.
The Chinese soldier is being treated in compliance with the protocols laid down and the conditions under which he had crossed.
“The PLA soldier had transgressed across the LAC and was taken into custody by Indian troops deployed in this area. Troops from either side are deployed along the LAC since friction erupted last year due to unprecedented mobilisation and forward concentration by Chinese troops,” said the source. Indian soldiers caught Corporal Wang Ya Long of the PLA on October 19 last year after he had “strayed” across the LAC in the Ladakh Demchok area.
The corporal was returned to China at the Chushul-Mold border point in eastern Ladakh after protocols had been established.
Almost 50,000 Indian Army forces are reportedly stationed at a high degree of battle readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh at sub-zero levels, as several rounds of talks between the two sides have not provided a tangible result to end the standoff. According to authorities, China has also mobilised an equivalent number of soldiers.
Last month, both countries went for another round of diplomatic talks in the form of the Consultation and Coordination Mechanism (WMCC) on border issues between India and China.
The 8th and final round of military talks between the two sides took place on 6 November, during which both sides discussed the disengagement of troops from particular points of tension.
