Indian passenger mistreated at Shanghai airport amid remark ‘Arunachal belongs to China’
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian-origin woman born in Arunachal Pradesh and currently living in the United Kingdom, has leveled serious allegations against China. According to her, Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai Pudong Airport refused to recognize her Indian passport and detained her for approximately 18 hours.
“Arunachal is part of China…; why don't you apply for a Chinese passport?” Indian woman harassed at Shanghai airport: Prema was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 and had a three-hour transit in Shanghai. But the officials at the immigration counter declared her passport 'invalid', saying that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of China. Prema alleged that several officials and China Eastern Airlines staff kept laughing at her, making fun of her and even asked why she did not apply for a Chinese passport.
What was supposed to be a transit stop in a few hours turned into a prolonged ordeal. Prema says she was not given proper information, food, or access to basic airport facilities. Her passport was confiscated, and despite having a valid visa, she was not allowed to board the next flight to Japan.
Confined to the transit area, she was unable to purchase a new ticket or travel to another terminal. She also claimed that officials pressured her to only take a China Eastern ticket. This resulted in significant financial losses, resulting in the cancellation of her flight, hotel, and other bookings.
Later, with the help of a friend in the UK, she was able to contact the Indian Embassy. Indian officials arrived at the airport late at night, retrieved her passport, and she was put on a flight to Japan. Prema has described the incident as a gross violation of India's sovereignty and the dignity of the people of Arunachal Pradesh and has sent a detailed complaint to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Ministry of External Affairs, and other officials.
He demanded that the Indian government should strongly raise this issue with China, action should be taken against the responsible officials and in future Indian citizens coming from Arunachal Pradesh should not have to face such situations.