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New Delhi: Even as India and China work to reset their relationship, a disconcerting incident has come to light.
A UK resident of Indian origin hailing from Arunachal Pradesh has alleged that the Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai airport detained and harassed her for hours after they refused to acknowledge her Indian passport during a transit halt, India Today reported.
On November 21, Pema Wangjom Thongdok was on her way from London to Japan. She had a layover at Shanghai Pudong Airport for three hours. Pema accused the officers at the immigration counter of announcing her passport as "invalid" because it showed Arunachal Pradesh as her place of birth. She said that officials told her, "Arunachal Pradesh is part of China."
Pema reportedly said that she submitted her passport and was waiting at security after immigration, when an official came and started shouting, "India, India," with her name and targeted her. "When I asked, she took me to the immigration desk and said, 'Arunachal, not valid passport'."
When Pema tried to reason out, the official declared, "Arunachal is a part of China. Your passport is invalid."
Pema was puzzled as last year, she had transited through Shanghai without any problems. She had even checked with the Chinese Embassy in London, which told her that Indians would face no problems while transiting through the city. Pema accused that some immigration personnel and China Eastern Airlines staff scoffed at her and said "apply for a Chinese passport".
The three-hour-layover turned into an 18-hour harrowing experience. Pema claimed that during this time, she was not provided any clarity on her travel status. Neither was she offered any food, nor access to airport facilities.
Pema further claimed that her passport was withheld and she was stopped from boarding her connecting flight to Japan, even though she had a valid visa.
As her movements were restricted in the transit zone, she could not rebook tickets, buy meals, or get access to other places in the airport. Pema alleged that the officials exerted pressure on her to buy a new ticket exclusively on China Eastern. They suggested that she will get her passport back only after she does so. She missed her flight.
Somehow, she managed to get in touch with the Indian Consulate in Shanghai through a friend in the UK. After this, the Indian officials put her onto a late-night flight out of the Chinese city.
Pema has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior officials. She has called the treatment meted out to her a "direct insult to India's sovereignty and to the citizens of Arunachal Pradesh". The woman has also asked the Indian officials to take up the matter with their Chinese counterparts.
