- Arunachal woman faced 18-hour detention at Shanghai airport
- Chinese officials called her passport invalid since Arunachal was her birthplace
- She thanked supporters and urged unity among Indians amid online trolling
The woman from Arunachal Pradesh who faced harassment in China has hit out at trolls after the Shanghai airport episode. Whatever action the Indian government takes is for the benefit of all Indians and not her alone, she asserted, striking a chord of unity among all Indians.
Pema Wang Thongdok had accused Chinese officials of detaining her for 18 hours at the Shanghai airport during what was meant to be a three-hour layover while travelling from London to Japan on November 21. The immigration officials refused to recognise her Indian passport, claiming that her birthplace, Arunachal Pradesh, was "part of China," she alleged.
Last night, she shared a gratitude post for those who came out in support of her; it also carried a message for those who allegedly tried to troll her over the Shanghai episode.
"I would like to thank everyone speaking in support of this diplomatic issue, and while I'm new here and not active on X, it's because I have a very high-profile full-time position working in the financial services and don't have idle time to answer trollers," Thongdok wrote on X.
Read: "Ludicrous, Unacceptable": Government Sources On Woman's Shanghai Airport Ordeal
The woman said the right people understand what she meant, and those who don't get it are not the people she would engage with anyway.
She asserted that Indians should stand united and with one another. "I don't even live in India so any action that Indian govt takes will be for the benefit & pride of my fellow Indians and Arunachalis living here, not mine. We are one nation we stand for one another (sic)," she added.
What Happened In Shanghai
Thongdok described the Shanghai incident as a "direct insult to India's sovereignty".
She said the Chinese officials deemed her Indian passport "invalid" upon noticing Arunachal Pradesh listed as her birthplace. She was told at the immigration desk that her passport was not valid because she was "born in Arunachal Pradesh."
They confiscated her passport and didn't allow her to board her onwards flight to Japan despite her having a valid Japanese visa. She claimed officers and China Eastern Airlines mocked her and even suggested that she should "apply for a Chinese passport."
Besides, she was also denied access to food and other airport facilities. Thongdok could not rebook her tickets and was forced to contact the Indian Consulate in Shanghai through a friend in the UK. She finally resumed her journey late at night.
The Indian government yesterday reaffirmed its sovereignty over Arunachal and rejected Beijing claims on the northeastern state. "Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evidence fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality," said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
India has lodged a strong protest with China both in Beijing and New Delhi, he confirmed.
