Chinese media urges India to return 1962 war prisoner
Chinese media has urged India to take steps to enable a former Chinese soldier, residing in Madhya Pradesh after being imprisoned post the 1962 war, to return to China to visit his family. The story of Wang Qi, a Chinese army surveyor who strayed into India in January 1963 and subsequently imprisoned until 1969, was recently reported by the BBC.
China's State media has urged India to take steps to enable a former Chinese soldier, who has been residing in Madhya Pradesh after being imprisoned shortly after the 1962 war, to return to China to visit his family.The story of Wang Qi, who was a Chinese army surveyor who strayed into India in January 1963 and subsequently imprisoned until 1969, has garnered increasing attention in China after a report last week by the BBC describing his life in the village of Tirodi, in MP, and his desire to return to visit his family.On Friday, the Global Times, a widely-read Party run newspaper published by the People's Daily, strongly urged India to issue relevant documents to allow Wang, who reports said is now in his eighties, to return on humanitarian grounds. Wang was issued a passport by the Chinese Embassy in 2003 but denied permission to travel to see his ailing mother, who died in 2006.The Global Times said: "Wang's story caused quite a stir on China's social media and appeals are rising that the man should be helped back home as soon as possible. There is also speculation that India is deliberately making it difficult for Wang, blocking him from returning to China," it claimed.WANG DELIBERATELY WITHHELD?The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi said it was looking at "how best" the matter could be handled. "We are aware of the matter," said spokesperson Vikas Swarup. "We are in touch with the Ministry of Home Affairs to ascertain the details and how best it could be handled."Also read: By testing missile with 10 nuclear warheads, is China preparing for a military showdown with US? Also read: Russia, US, Brexit and China to re-shape world order. Read how  The Global Times said Wang "was issued a Chinese passport by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi in 2013 and applied for permission to travel to China in 2014, but since then Wang's quest has been lost in 'official procedures' in New Delhi. It is high time for the Indian authorities to take the case seriously and process it efficiently. If Wang's hope for a reunion with his family in China is shattered in India's red tape, that will hurt the feelings of a massive number of Chinese netizens."The paper cited the case of two veteran Chinese soldiers, captured in 1962, who were returned in 2003 in what was "conceived as a goodwill gesture that both countries hoped would lead them out of the shadow of the 1962 war.""Although it's unclear whether Wang is a prisoner of war, it is inhumane to have isolated the elderly man from his family for such a long time," the Global Times said. "The Indian authorities should give their utmost attention to this case, actively communicating with the Chinese Embassy and improving administrative efficiency in processing this case, while the Chinese side should cooperate to provide the necessary documents pertaining to Wang that India requires."WANG ALIAS RAJ BAHADURThe BBC reported that Wang said he had strayed into India while carrying out land surveying duties for the Chinese army, and picked up by the Indian Red Cross Society.He was jailed and transferred around several Indian states before being released in 1969 and sent to the remote village of Tirodi, which is a five hour drive from Nagpur. Wang now goes by his Indian name Raj Bahadur, and has three children. He was married to a local girl and started a family.Also read: China says it will not sit idle if India sells missiles to Vietnam