India Protests Strongly To China Detaining Arunachal Woman For 18 Hours

After the unlawful detention of Prema Thongdok, an Arunachal Pradesh resident, by China for over 18 hours, Delhi has issued a ‘strong demarche’ with the Chinese side in Beijing and in Delhi. The Indian consulate in Shanghai has also taken up the matter locally and extended full support to the stranded passenger.

As per the Indian Express report, the Indian side has stressed to the Chinese side that the passenger had been detained on “ludicrous grounds” and Arunachal Pradesh is indisputable Indian territory, and its residents are entitled to hold and travel with an Indian passport.

Notably, the woman in her 30s, originally from Rupa, Kameng district in Arunachal Pradesh, India, where her family lives, has been living in the United Kingdom for over 14 years in the finance sector.

She was travelling from London to Japan, with a three-hour transit in Shanghai Pudong Airport on November 21. According to her, she was singled out during the security check for her flight to Japan, with her passport confiscated for 18 hours, and she was denied permission because her passport was deemed invalid, which showed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace. As per the woman’s ordeal, the Chinese authorities were insisting that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of China.

Thongdok confronted the argument and enquired about the law or the written document that specifies that her passport is invalid. She also complained of mocking during her confinement, where the airport authorities asked her to get a Chinese passport while calling her a Chinese person.

She was confined for 18 hours after she had already travelled 12 hours from London. As per the woman, she was not allowed to leave and didn’t have access to food and information, as there is no Google in China. Thongdok was refused board on the flight heading towards Japan despite having a valid visa for Japan and was asked to either go back to the UK or fly to India.

After several hours, she was given access of the phone when she contacted with her friends, who reached out to the Indian consulate in Shanghai. Later, six official arrived at the airport within an hour and brought food for her, the Indian Express reported. Despite the efforts of Indian officials, the woman was not allowed to travel to Japan, but they refused to allow that.

She has reportedly wrote an email to the Ministry of External Affairs detailing the matter and stressed on the impression of geopolitics on Indian citizen during an international transit. She requested that the matter must be taken seriously and demanded the compansation for “harassment, distress and physical as well as metnal suffereing” along with the “financial losses”.

Moreover the Chinese action is in direct contravention to the Chicago and Montreal Conventions relating to the civil aviation.

Currently, Pema is staying at Bangkok, Thialand, as she chose to come to Delhi instead of going back to London.