Pema Wangjom Thongdok of Arunachal Pradesh had to face harassment at China’s Shanghai airport, after the officials there refused to recognise her Indian passport. The reason – the state she belonged to. Pema, who is India-origin UK resident, has accused Chinese officials at the Shanghai airport of detaining and harassing her. She claimed they refused to accept her Indian passport, maintaining that Arunachal Pradesh was part of China, reported India Today.
Pema Wangjom was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 and had a three-hour layover at Shanghai Pudong Airport. She alleged that the officers at the immigration counter declared her passport ‘invalid’ because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her place of birth, adding that officials told her, “Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.”
“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 was quoted as saying by India Today. When she asked what happened, the official reportedly said, “Arunachal, not valid passport,” she added.
Immigration officials mocked, laughed at her
Pema told the media outlet that while all this was happening, several immigration official and personel of China Eastern Airlines staff mocked her, laughed at her, and even asked her to “apply for a Chinese passport”. According to the report, the three-hour layour turned into an 18-hr nightmare for the woman. She said all this time, she was not provided proper infromation, food, or access to airport facilities.
She alleged that her passport was withheld and the personnel at the airport did not let her board onward flight to Japan. Pema has accused the officials of pressuring her to purchase a new ticket on China Eastern, stating that her passport would be returned only after doing so.
Pema writes to PM Modi
The Arunachal woman had to face financial losses due to missed flights and hotel bookings. India Today said that it was when 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.
She has now written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials, mentioning that the treatment she faced 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, the report mentioned.
