The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday criticised China over the “arbitrary detention” of Prema Thongdok, an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh who was stopped for over 18 hours during a layover at Shanghai International Airport.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had made a strong demarche in both Beijing and New Delhi immediately after the incident.
Thongdok, a UK resident, was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 when Chinese authorities claimed her passport was invalid because it listed Arunachal Pradesh, a state Beijing refers to as “Zangnan” or South Tibet.
Despite holding a valid Japanese visa, she alleged officials mocked her and asked her to apply for a Chinese passport, releasing her only after intervention by Indian consular staff.
Jaiswal reaffirmed that “Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India,” insisting that no amount of Chinese denial can alter that “indisputable reality.”
In response to media queries, China’s foreign ministry repeated its claim of never recognising Arunachal Pradesh and denied detaining or harassing Thongdok, describing the checks as routine.
 on Thursday criticised China over the “arbitrary detention” of Prema Thongdok. ){kind=link}