New Delhi: Just as relations between New Delhi and Beijing were seeming to thaw, a major diplomatic row has erupted after an Indian-origin woman claimed that she was illegally detained at the Shanghai airport for being born in Arunachal Pradesh.
Pema Wangjom Thongdok was not even travelling to China. She was on her way to Japan from the UK. Her travel plan included a three-hour layover at Shanghai airport. This turned into an 18 hour ordeal.
Pema has now written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, detailing her experience and urging the Indian government to take up the matter with China.
Pema, a UK resident, has claimed that the incident is from November 21 when she landed at Shanghai’s Pudong airport and handed over her Indian passport to Immigration authorities.
“After immigration, I submitted my passport and was waiting at security. Just then, an official came and started screaming, ‘India, India,’ with my name and singled me out,” she narrated.
When she asked what happened, the official reportedl
y said, “Arunachal, not valid passport,” Pema said.
Pema told India Today that while all this was going on, several immigration officials and personnel of China Eastern Airlines mocked her, laughed at her, and even asked her to “apply for a Chinese passport”.
What was meant to be a three-hour stopover ended up into an 18-hrour nightmare for the woman. She claimed that she was not provided proper information, food, or access to airport facilities during this time.
Pema said that her passport was withheld and the personnel at the airport did not let her board the onward flight to Japan. She accused the officials of pressuring her to purchase a new ticket on China Eastern, stating that her passport would be returned only after she did so.
She had to face financial losses due to missed flights and hotel bookings. It was only after she reached the Indian Consulate in Shanghai through a friend in the UK, that Indian officials escorted her to a late-night departure from the Chinese city.
In her letter to the Prime Minister and other officials, Pema has mentioned that the treatment she faced was a “direct insult to India’s sovereignty and to the citizens of Arunachal Pradesh”.
She has urged the Centre to raise the issue with Beijing seeking further explanation on what happened. She has also sought disciplinary action against the immigration and airline staff involved, and asked for compensation.