Have provided info sought by authorities, waiting for missing Arunachal youth's return: Official
Itanagar(PTI): Two days after Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao said that a teenager has been abducted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) from Siyungla area of Upper Siang, officials in the district said they have provided all information sought by higher authorities and were waiting for the 17-year-old's return.
Miram Taron, a native of Zido village in the district, was allegedly kidnapped on January 18 from a jungle in Siyungla area, where he had gone hunting along with his friend Jhonny Yaying (27), Upper Siang DC Shaswat Saurabh stated.
Saurabh also said that he has found out from Yaying that it was almost dark when the Chinese soldiers surrounded them in Siyungla area, near Bishing village.
"While Yaying managed to escape, Taron's whereabouts are yet to be established.
"As the area of operation falls under the jurisdiction of the Indian Army, the matter will be dealt with at a higher level. We have given all information to the higher authorities
Bishing is the last Indian village near the Sino-Indian border, located along the left bank of Siang river. The village is around 260 km from Yingkiong, the district headquarters.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has already initiated diplomatic talks with China to bring the youth home.
"I am very optimistic that the boy will be released in a few days, Khandu said.
State Congress MLA and former union minister Ninong Ering has also appealed to the Centre to ensure the safe return of Taron.
"We have nothing to do with China and both the ministries of external affairs and defence should take immediate and appropriate action so as to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future, Ering said.
The China's Foreign Ministry, however, on Thursday stated that it was not aware of any such incident, while maintaining that the PLA controls the borders and cracks down on "illegal entry and exit activities".
Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has asked the Centre to immediately come out with a proper mechanism to end the repeated abduction of state youths by the Chinese army.
"China has always been a threat to our country, especially to Arunachal Pradesh. The BJP-led government at the Centre should stop giving verbal assurances and adopt a practical approach when it comes to ensuring the safety, security and territorial integrity of Arunachal Pradesh," APCC working president Bosiram Siram said.
In September 2020, five youths were allegedly abducted by the Chinese army from Sera-7 area of Nacho in Upper Subansiri district.
Nacho is the last administrative circle of the district along the McMahon Line.
The Indian Army had then sent a hotline message to its Chinese counterpart, to which the latter had on September 8, responded and confirmed that the missing youths were found on their side. The youths were handed over to the Indian Army a few days later.
Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,129-km-long border with China.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
