India Protests Following Harassment of Arunachal Woman in China

India has lodged a formal protest with China concerning the harassment of a woman from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport on November 21, 2023. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized that a “strong demarche” was issued to both the Chinese government in Beijing and local authorities in Delhi on the same day the incident occurred. Officials stated that the Indian consulate in Shanghai provided assistance to the affected passenger.

Pema Thongdok, a financial adviser who has lived in the UK for the past 14 years, was en route to Japan when her planned three-hour layover turned into an 18-hour ordeal. Thongdok, originally from Rupa in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, recounted her experience, highlighting the harassment she faced at the airport.

While waiting in line at the security gate, she was singled out by an airport official who questioned the validity of her passport, citing Arunachal Pradesh as part of China. “I was held at the airport for 18 hours, after I had already travelled 12 hours from London,” Thongdok stated. “They kept my passport and didn’t let me leave. I didn’t have access to food… They insisted that I have to either fly back to the UK or fly to India.”

After several hours, Thongdok demanded to use a phone to contact a lawyer. She reached out to friends in the UK, who helped her connect with the Indian consulate. Within an hour, six consulate officials arrived at the airport, providing her with food and attempting to negotiate her release. Despite their efforts, the Chinese authorities refused to allow her to continue her journey to Japan, insisting she could only book a flight home with China Eastern Airlines.

In an email to the MEA, Thongdok detailed her experience, describing the declaration of her Indian passport as “invalid” as a “direct challenge to India’s sovereignty.” She expressed her concerns about how a geopolitical issue was misdirected at her, a private Indian citizen, in an international transit setting. She urged the Indian government to take strong action against the Chinese government and seek compensation for the distress and financial losses she incurred during the ordeal.

“The actions of the Chinese authorities are in contravention of the Chicago and Montreal Conventions relating to civil aviation,” an MEA official noted. He emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh is indisputably Indian territory and its residents have the right to hold and travel with Indian passports. The Indian government’s response underlines the seriousness of the incident and its implications for diplomatic relations between India and China.

Thongdok’s experience has raised concerns about the treatment of Indian citizens abroad and the broader implications of territorial disputes between nations. The MEA has reiterated India’s position on Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the harassment faced by Thongdok was based on “ludicrous grounds.”

As the situation develops, it remains critical for both governments to address these issues to prevent similar incidents in the future.