An Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, was held for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport on November 21. Chinese immigration officials reportedly refused to recognise her Indian passport, saying it was “invalid” because she was born in Arunachal Pradesh.
Thongdok says she was mocked by airport staff and airline employees, who told her things like “you are Chinese, not Indian” and suggested she apply for a Chinese passport. She was denied food and normal airport facilities and missed her flight to Japan, despite having a valid visa.
She finally managed to continue her journey after buying a new ticket on China Eastern Airlines. She contacted the Indian Consulate in Shanghai and the embassy in Beijing, which helped her with food and negotiating her release.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) lodged a strong protest with China, calling her detention “unacceptable” and reaffirming that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. Indian officials said China’s actions may violate international aviation rules and create unnecessary obstacles to normalising India-China relations.
Thongdok has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior Indian leaders to ensure that citizens from Arunachal Pradesh are not treated unfairly in the future while travelling abroad.
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