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News Topical, Digital Desk : China on Tuesday denied allegations that an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was mistreated at Shanghai airport, saying the actions of Chinese immigration officials were in accordance with laws and regulations.
Pema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian citizen living in the UK, claimed that while she was travelling from London to Japan on November 21, immigration officials declared her passport "invalid" simply because it showed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.
What did China say?
When asked to comment on the incident involving Thongdok, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning claimed that the woman's allegations were false and that she had not been subjected to coercion, detention, or harassment. Mao said the airline provided the person with a place to rest, as well as food and drinks.
What did China say about Arunachal Pradesh?
"We learned that China's border inspection authority completed the entire process in accordance with laws and regulations and fully protected the legal rights and interests of the person concerned," Mao said, reiterating China's claims to Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls Zangnan or South Tibet.
He said, "Zhangnan is Chinese territory. China has never recognized the so-called Arunachal Pradesh illegally occupied by India."
India adopted a tough stance
Sources in Delhi said India had lodged a strong demarche (a formal diplomatic protest) with China both in Beijing and Delhi on the day of the incident.
India clearly told the Chinese side that Arunachal Pradesh is "without a doubt" Indian territory and that its people have every right to hold and travel with Indian passports. He said the Indian Consulate in Shanghai also took up the matter locally and provided full assistance to the stranded traveler.
What did Thongdok claim?
In several posts on social media, Thongdok said that Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai airport detained him for 18 hours on the grounds that his passport was "invalid" because he was born in Arunachal Pradesh. He managed to contact the Indian Embassy in Shanghai through a friend living in the UK. Embassy officials then helped him board a late-night flight from Shanghai.
Thongdok said Beijing's social media policy added to her difficulties, as she was unable to contact the Indian embassy in Shanghai or Beijing for hours regarding her passport issue because "no app, not even Google," works in China.
She said, "I told them that I cannot stay here for so long without you giving me a proper, written document stating that Indian passport is invalid for holders and residents of Arunachal Pradesh... I told them that I need to talk to a lawyer and so they gave me a landline, which I used to contact my friends in London... who helped me get the number of the Indian Embassy in Shanghai and that's when I contacted them."
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