‘Not for immigration officials to play politics’: Kanwal Sibal on harassment of Arunachali woman at Shanghai airport

Former Foreign Minister Kanwal Sibal said that harassment of woman Arunachali at Shanghai airport is unacceptable. The woman, Pema Wang Thongduk, said Chinese officials described her passport as invalid because her birthplace was in Arunachal Pradesh. Officials told her that “Arunachal is in China” and therefore her passport was invalid.

He said: “What Chinese immigration did is unacceptable. The immigration authorities do not have the right to practice a policy of this kind. The matter is even more unacceptable because the woman crossed Shanghai earlier without difficulty. This indicates the spread of official Chinese hostile sentiment towards India.”

The incident sparked a diplomatic uproar as India lodged a strong protest against her arrest. Sources told news agency PTI that there was strong action with the Chinese side in Beijing and Delhi on the day of the incident. They added that the Indian Consulate in Shanghai handled the matter locally and provided full assistance to the stranded passenger.

It was confirmed that the passenger was detained for unfounded reasons. One of the sources said that Arunachal Pradesh is undisputed Indian territory, and its residents have the right to carry Indian passports and travel there. The sources also indicated that the actions of the Chinese authorities violate the Chicago and Montreal Conventions related to civil aviation. The sources said that while the two sides are working to restore normalcy, such actions by the Chinese side create unnecessary obstacles to the process.

Thongduk was detained for 18 hours at the airport. “They called my Indian passport invalid because my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is Chinese territory,” said Thongdok, who was traveling from London to Japan. “I was detained at Shanghai airport for more than 18 hours on November 21, based on claims from the Chinese Immigration Department and China Eastern Airlines,” Thongduk said.

She said that several immigration officials and China Eastern Airlines employees made fun of her and suggested that she apply for a Chinese passport. During the 18 hours she was detained, Thongduk claims she was denied clear information, adequate food and access to airport facilities. Her passport was withheld, and she was prevented from boarding the plane to Japan. She was unable to rebook tickets, buy meals, or move between stations.

Thongduk also said that officials pressured her to buy a new ticket exclusively on China Eastern Airlines and implied that her passport would only be returned after that. I finally reached the Indian Consulate in Shanghai through a friend in the UK. Indian officials later accompanied her to the late-night departure from the Chinese city.