MEA says AP ‘Integral, inalienable part of India’ shuts Beijing claim

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – India on Tuesday delivered a strong rebuttal to China’s false claim on Arunachal Pradesh, asserted that Arunachal Pradesh state is an “integral and inalienable part of India” and that no amount of denial by the Chinese side can change this “indisputable reality”.

India responded hours after spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, made absurd claim on Arunachal Pradesh.

Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a statement issued said that New Delhi was aware of the statements made by Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the arbitrary detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai International Airport.

Jaiwal said 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 asserted that the issue of Prema Wangjom Thongdok’s detention has been taken up strongly with the Chinese side but they are yet to explain their actions, which violates several conventions governing international air travel.

“The actions by the Chinese authorities also violates its own regulations that allow visa free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries,” the MEA spokesperson said.

The MEA response came hours after spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning made absurd claim on Arunachal Pradesh.

Ning said, “Zangnan (Chinese name of the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh) is China’s territory. The Chinese side has never recognized the so-called “Arunachal Pradesh” illegally set up by India,” commented on the Indian woman’s harassment by Chinese immigration officials.

She also dismissed Thongdok’s harassment charge, stated “China’s border inspection authorities carried out checks procedures in accordance with laws and regulations, the law enforcement was impartial and non-abusive, the lawful rights and interests of the person concerned were fully protected, no compulsory measures were taken on her, and there was no so-called “detaining” or “harassing.”

Thongdok claimed that she was harassed for 18 hours at the Shanghai airport.

She alleged that immigration officials told her she was “not an Indian” because “Arunachal is part of China” and asked her to apply for a Chinese passport instead.

“One of the officials from Chinese immigration came over and singled me out of the queue. I asked her what was happening, and she said, ‘Arunachal—not India, China-China. Your visa is not acceptable. Your passport is invalid.’ When I tried to question them, they said, ‘Arunachal is not part of India,’ and started mocking and laughing, saying things like, ‘You should apply for a Chinese passport; you’re Chinese, you’re not Indian,’” she said.

Thongdok asserted that the people of Arunachal Pradesh are Indian and urged the Government of India to raise the issue at the diplomatic level with the Chinese authorities.

India issued a strong demarche to the Chinese side, both in Beijing and in New Delhi.