New Delhi: The Chinese soldier who was captured by the Indian Army in Ladakh’s Demchok after straying across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) may not be released for a few days, a report said on Tuesday.
According to an NDTV report, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) soldier, identified as Wang Ya Long, will not be released “for the next few days” and would be returned to China only after the formalities are complete “as per established protocol after following due procedure”.
The soldier was detained for further questioning by the Indian Army on Monday morning to establish whether he was on an espionage mission as he was caught with certain civic and military documents.
Long, however, told officials that he had accidentally crossed the disputed border to retrieve a yak that had strayed into Indian territory.
The Army has also provided him with medical assistance, food and warm clothes to protect him from vagaries of extreme altitude and harsh climatic conditions.
India and China have amassed thousands of soldiers, tanks and missiles in one of the worst border crises in four decades. Multiple rounds of talks between senior military commanders and diplomats and ministers have failed to resolve the crisis.
Notably, the capture came amid talks between the two countries for the eighth round of Corps Commander level meeting ahead of the dreadful winters where soldiers may face the prospect of braving temperate 30 degrees below zero Celsius.