The detention of Pema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian citizen living in the UK, at Shanghai airport has fuelled a diplomatic row between Delhi and Beijing.
Ms Thongdok said she was detained by immigration officials while travelling from London to Japan via Shanghai last Friday because her passport lists her birthplace as the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
China disputes India’s claim over the region and considers Arunachal its territory, calling it “South Tibet” – a claim India firmly rejects.
On Tuesday, India said it had lodged a protest against Ms Thongdok’s detention and reiterated that Arunachal was an “integral and inalienable” part of India.
Ms Thongdok, who called the experience “humiliating”, contacted the Indian embassies in Shanghai and Beijing for help. She was released from detention after 18 hours when Indian officials arrived at the airport and spoke to the authorities.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal called Ms Thongdok’s detention “arbitary” and said the issued had been taken up strongly with China.
“Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which are in violation of several conventions governing international air travel. Their actions also violate their own regulations that allow visa free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries,” he said in a statement.
Mr Jaiswal’s statement came hours after China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China’s border inspection authorities had “carried out checks in accordance with laws and regulations”.
“The law enforcement was impartial and non-abusive, the lawful rights of the individual [Ms Thongdok] were fully protected, no compulsory measures were taken on her, and there was no so-called ‘detaining’ or ‘harassing’,” she told India’s PTI news agency. She added that the airline – China Eastern – had provided Ms Thongdok resting facilities and meals.
But she insisted that Arunachal was China’s territory.
“The Chinese side has never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India,” she said.
Credit: bbc.com
