Prema said her passport was confiscated, and she was prevented from boarding her China Eastern Airlines flight to Japan. Screegrab: ANI
Arunachal woman detained in Shanghai hits back at online trolls
UK-based Arunachal woman detained in Shanghai hits back at online trolls, recounting her 18-hour ordeal as India’s MEA slams China’s arbitrary action
The Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh who was detained at Shanghai airport by Chinese authorities has hit back at trolls downplaying her ordeal, saying that she holds a high-profile full-time position in financial services and does not have idle time to engage with them.
The woman, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, living in the UK, stated in a post on X, pointed out that she does not even live in India, adding that whatever action the Indian government takes will benefit the Indians and Arunachalis.
‘Don’t have time for trolls’
“I would like to thank everyone speaking in support of this diplomatic issue and while I’m new here & 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! The right people get it,” she stated.
Also Read: ‘Arunachal China’s part’: Shanghai immigration stops Indian woman in transit
“And the ones who don’t get it are clearly not people I would engage with anyway! 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,” added Prema.
‘Harassed, asked to apply for Chinese passport’
Prema, travelling from London to Japan with a three-hour layover in Shanghai on November 21, said she was singled out during the airport security check and taken to immigration officials who mocked her.
Also Read: India expands tourist visa facilities for Chinese nationals
Speaking to ANI she alleged that they told her, “Arunachal is not part of India” and added, “you should apply for the Chinese passport, you’re Chinese, you’re not Indian.”
She said her passport was confiscated, and she was prevented from boarding her China Eastern Airlines flight to Japan despite holding a valid Japanese visa.
Thongdok said she then contacted the Indian consulate in Shanghai and Beijing for assistance. She recounted that, “…Within an hour, the Indian officials came to the airport, got me some food and spoke through the issues with them and helped me get out of the country. A very long ordeal, 18 hours, but glad that I’m out of there.”
MEA rubbishes China’s Arunachal claim
Reacting to the incident, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday termed Prema’s detention as “arbitrary” and said that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and no amount of denial by China will change the fact.
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“We have seen statements made by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the arbitrary detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh, who was holding a valid passport and was transiting through Shanghai International Airport on her onward travel to Japan. 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,” stated the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
“The issue of the detention has been taken up strongly with the Chinese side. Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which are in violation of several conventions governing international air travel. The actions by the Chinese authorities also violate their own regulations that allow visa free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries,” he added.