150 Arunachal kids trafficked in 4 years
150 Arunachal kids trafficked in 4 years
Mid-Day.com, Sunday March 21, 2010, Itanagar
Image courtesy: Mid-Day.com
Over the last four years, 150 children from Arunachal Pradesh have been trafficked to Phuntsok Choeling monastery in Kathmandu with the promise of a better education. As recently as last month, six of the 150 children have been reported missing from the monastery, located in Swayambhu.
The children were reported to have gone missing after one of them telephoned their parents in Arunachal, in the first week of February 2010, complaining about the cruel treatment meted out to them at the monastery.
Norbu Wangdi, one of the alleged child-traffickers involved in this Indo-Nepal nexus had also kept the parents informed about their children from time to time. Parents of the six missing children registered a complaint with the Arunachal state police on March 13. The children were from Bana, a village in East Kameng and Nafra in West Kameng.
In an exclusive recorded conversation available with Sunday MiD Day, Wangdi, the alleged child-trafficker admitted, "I have been sending children to Kathmandu since the year 2006. Till date, I have sent 70 children to the monastery. My only duty was to hand them over to the monastery. I was not concerned with their daily activities in the monastery."
"There are as many as 150 children from Arunachal in the monastery. Two other Indians Chhupa and Penadupha (a state government official) are also working for the monastery and with their channels, many children have reached the monastery," Wangdi said in the video.
Pau Dabo, father of B K Dabo, a 10 year-old who went missing, said, "They told us that our children will get a better education and that they (officials at the monastery) will teach them English, so that they can get better jobs. But they cheated us. We tried our best to hunt them but failed and reported the matter to the local SP."
Nidong Rongmo, father of Bono Rongmo, another 10 year-old who went missing, said, "Now, I want my child back. I have doubts that something is wrong at the monastery. I have requested the local police to interfere."
The Arunachal police have begun investigating the case of 17 students who were trafficked and sent to the monastery in the last three months by Wangdi. Tumme Amo, superintendent of police, East Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, said, "In the primary investigation, we have confirmed that all 17 children were sent to Kathmandu illegally without visas and any formalities."
"We have discussed the matter with the officials who are in touch with the union government since we cannot directly investigate the case.
We will investigate all aspects including the involvement of China and government officials. Our priority is to get the children back to their families and punish those involved," added Amo. Penadupha, the Arunachal Pradesh government official at the Phuntsok Choeling monastery, is a suspect.
A resident from Nafra, located in the neighbouring West Kameng, on condition of anonymity, said, "We paid Rs 3,500 to the middleman as we thought our children will receive free education for the rest of their lives. In some villages of our area, the children who were sent nearly 15 years ago haven't returned yet. Parents are struggling to get them back and the monastery says it will allow them to return after they turn 20."
Arunachal Pradesh home minister Tako Dabi said that the state government is in touch with the centre regarding the case. "We have already brought the matter to the notice of the union government (home ministry and the external affairs ministry) and have also deputed our special officer in Delhi to coordinate with the Nepali embassy. I don't want to comment on the investigation."
All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union (AAPSU) president Takam Tatung pointed to Chinese involvement in the child trafficking, saying, "The presence of Chinese nationals in Arunachal Pradesh is known, still the state and the union governments have done nothing concrete. Foreign passes are easily issued. Human trafficking is quite active in the border areas. I am sure China is involved in this case since countries like Nepal, struggling with their own economy, cannot afford to educate Indian students free of cost."
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