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China News Today: A case of Indian citizen Pem Wang Thongdok, living in Britain, being detained at Shanghai Airport for 18 hours just because her birthplace was listed as Arunachal Pradesh on her passport. The woman alleges that the Chinese authorities did not allow her to board the flight to Japan, saying her passport was invalid and pressurized her to buy a new ticket, saying she was a citizen of China. After the intervention of the Indian Consulate, he was released late at night and sent away.
New Delhi. China, which claims to be the world’s largest economy after America, took 18 hours to determine the identity of an Indian citizen. It would be wrong to call this just a shameful act of China. This is the latest evidence of his old habits. What happened to Pem Wang Thongdok, an Indian citizen living in Britain at Shanghai Airport, is the latest example of China’s political map. The woman was stopped only because her birthplace was Arunachal Pradesh written on her Indian passport and China repeated the same old tune “Arunachal is a part of China, your passport is not valid.”
Hey brother! Passport is issued by the Government of India, not Beijing! Who gave China the contract to teach a sovereign country its limits? Thongdok was not only detained for 18 hours but was also threatened that his passport would be returned only if he bought a new ticket only from China Easton, a cheap tactic of illegal pressure. Thankfully the Indian Consulate intervened and he could be sent safely. During the incident, he was not allowed to board the next flight to Japan and was pressured to buy a new China Eastern ticket. After the intervention of the Indian Consulate, he was released late at night. The woman narrated her story on X.
Congress MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also strongly attacked this action of China. He wrote on Twitter, “Now China will take action regarding the passports of Arunachal citizens and we will remain silent? This is an insult to India and Indian citizens, action should be taken.” China has been playing this game for years. Sometimes absurd claims on Arunachal, sometimes stapled visas, sometimes protests. But now the matter is more serious because it is a direct attack on the sovereign identity of the Indian citizen.
Beijing should understand that Arunachal Pradesh was India, is India, and will remain India. An officer sitting behind the desk of an airport cannot decide the borders of India. This incident has once again exposed China’s thinking. The world does not change by changing maps, rather the world sees China that it is still playing the politics of the 19th century in the 21st century.
