'China Never Acknowledged Arunachal': Beijing Rejects Harassment Claim, Calls State ‘Zangnan’

New Delhi: China refuted on Tuesday that immigration personnel harassed an Indian woman, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai International Airport. Beijing claimed that its authorities strictly adhered to Chinese laws and regulations. 

Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian national living in the UK, was involved in the incident on November 21 while traveling from London to Japan. Chinese border officers reportedly ruled her passport "invalid" since it stated Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace, turning her planned three-hour stay into a hassle.

Later, Thongdok said that she was detained for eighteen hours at the airport and that it was a traumatic experience. She said that because of China's stance on Arunachal Pradesh, the officials maintained that her passport could not be approved.  

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning denied the accusations in response to inquiries regarding the incident. According to her, Thongdok was not harassed, detained, or subjected to any coercive tactics. She claimed that border inspectors "fully protected the lawful rights and interests of the person concerned" and adhered to the law. According to Mao, the airline also provided the passenger with food, water, and a place to rest.

Additionally, the spokeswoman reiterated China's long-standing claim to Arunachal Pradesh, referring to it as "Zangnan" and maintaining that "China never acknowledged the so-called Arunachal Pradesh."

On the day of the incident, however, India made a forceful diplomatic protest to China in both Beijing and New Delhi. Arunachal Pradesh is an "indisputable" part of India, and its citizens are completely authorized to possess and travel with Indian passports, according to Indian officials. Additionally, Thongdok received assistance and intervention from the Indian Consulate in Shanghai, which ultimately let her board a late-night aircraft out of the city.

Pema Khandu, the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, expressed his "deep shock" at the treatment of Thongdok, calling it an insult to the dignity of Indian nationals and a breach of international standards. 

Through social media posts, Thongdok described her experience and claimed that a friend in the UK helped her get in touch with the Indian Consulate. After being stuck at the airport for hours, she said that embassy officials made sure she could resume her trip.

What took place at the airport in Shanghai? 

According to Thongdok, she was singled out and removed during the security check. Officials informed her that her Indian passport was "not valid" since Arunachal Pradesh is a part of China, citing the birthplace entry on her passport.

She claimed, "They insisted that my passport is not valid." One of them even suggested that since I am Chinese, I should obtain a Chinese passport. They were making fun of me. 

She claimed that despite having a valid visa, officials refused to let her board her trip to Japan, kept her passport, and forced her to wait eighteen hours without food or access to trustworthy information. She stated, "They insisted that I either fly to India or back to the UK."

Eventually, according to Thongdok, she was able to get in touch with the Indian Consulate in Shanghai. "Within an hour, six officials showed up and brought me food," she remarked. They attempted to convince officials to grant her permission to continue her journey to Japan, but their request was turned down.

She claimed that she was informed that China Eastern Airlines was the only airline that could take her out. She is currently staying in Thailand and working remotely after booking a flight to India with a stopover in Thailand.

In an email to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Thongdok described the passport's "invalid" designation as a "direct challenge to India's sovereignty." A "geopolitical matter was misdirected at a private Indian citizen," she claimed, characterizing the event as “harassment.”

She has requested that the Indian government pursue compensation for "harassment, distress, and financial losses" and take up the issue "strongly" with China.

Prema Wangjom Thongdok; Who? 

Prema Thongdok, an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh who now resides in the UK, claims she was detained for eighteen hours when traveling through Shanghai Pudong Airport after authorities declared her Indian passport to be "invalid" because it stated Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.

Prema Thongdok, who is in her 30s, has spent 14 years living in the UK. Her family still resides in Rupa, in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, where she was born. On November 21, she was traveling from London to Japan as a financial advisor in the UK, with a three-hour stopover in Shanghai.