Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) urges China to ensure no Indians are harassed at airports

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday sought "assurances" from China that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be "selectively targeted, arbitrarily detained or harassed" and that Beijing will "respect" regulations governing international air travel.

Addressing the weekly press briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also issued a travel advisory warning Indians travelling to or transiting through China to "exercise due discretion."

Jaiswal was responding to media queries when asked what the MEA recommends for Indian nationals travelling to or through China after an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Wangjom Thongdok, was detained at Shanghai Airport for 18 hours last month, with Chinese officials claiming her Indian passport was invalid since Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.

"We fully share your concern following the recent incident at Shanghai airport that you have cited. We expect the Chinese authorities to provide assurances that Indian citizens transiting through Chinese airports will not be selectively targeted, arbitrarily detained or harassed and that regulations governing international air travel will be respected by the Chinese side," Jaiswal said. "MEA would advise Indian nationals to exercise due discretion while travelling to or transiting through China," the MEA spokesperson added.

Thongdok was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 with a layover at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, when she was singled out, "humiliated" and detained at Shanghai International Airport after Chinese immigration officials declared her Indian passport "invalid" and mocked her nationality, asserting that "Arunachal is not part of India".

Following the incident, India firmly rejected China's claims over Arunachal Pradesh, stating that the northeastern state is an "integral and inalienable part of India", adding that no amount of denial from Beijing can alter the "indisputable reality".

Jaiswal, in a separate briefing last month, lodged a strong protest with China over the incident involving Thongdok, calling the detention "arbitrary". He reaffirms India's consistent position on the matter, noting that the government has issued a strong demarche to China both in Beijing and New Delhi immediately after the incident. (ANI)

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