New Delhi: India has rebuked China after an Arunachal Pradesh woman was reportedly held for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. India called a violation of international aviation rules and Beijing’s own transit regulations. The MEA said the Indian traveller, who was en route from London to Japan, was stopped despite carrying a valid passport and qualifying for China’s 24-hour visa-free transit facility.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India has taken up the matter “strongly” with Chinese authorities, who have yet to explain why the woman, identified as UK-based Indian citizen Pema Wangjom Thongdok, was prevented from boarding her onward flight. Thongdok alleged that immigration officers told her her Indian passport was “invalid” because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.
Responding to comments from China’s Foreign Ministry, Jaiswal reiterated India’s long-standing position that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India.
“Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and this is a self-evident fact. No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality,” he said.