An Indian woman based out of the UK, who was traveling from the UK to Japan, was detained during transit at Shanghai airport for the most absurd reason you can imagine. Pem Wang Thongdok, an Indian citizen residing in the UK, was traveling from London Gatwick airport to Japan, with a transit in Shanghai. As she was standing in line for immigration during transit, she was told to step out of the line. That’s when Chinese Immigration officials took her aside for additional questioning.
Chinese Immigration Officials detain woman for frivolous reasons
After Chinese Immigration officials pulled Pem aside for additional questioning, she thought that she would just be subject to additional scrutiny. However, it turned out to be really absurd. Chinese Immigration officials started mocking her and telling her that she’s Chinese, because she’s from the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.
For a long time, it’s been the Chinese Communist Party’s line that Arunachal Pradesh is a part of China. While you may think that this is some border dispute that’s often there between neighboring countries, you’ll be surprised to know that it’s not just a dispute with India, but the fact that the Chinese Communist Party claims 17 states or territories from neighboring countries as their own. This includes border disputes with countries like Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Singapore, Brunei, Nepal, Bhutan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar and Tibet.
In this case, Chinese officials mocked Pem while detaining her, conversed with each other in Chinese while telling her in English that she was ‘not Indian’ and that her passport was invalid. They also jokingly told her to get a Chinese passport.
18 hour ordeal
Pem was detained with very little access to proper food or a place to rest. During the entire ordeal, officials refused to cooperate and simply ignored many of her requests and questions. She tried to access the airport wifi but said that it was painfully slow. She tried to search for her legal options but Google was also blocked.
Pem also asked immigration officials to show her the law under which she was detained, but she was met with silence. Eventually, Pem asked to speak to a lawyer as immigration officials simply evaded any request to show legal reasons for her detention. She got hold of a landline and called a friend in London. She was finally able to connect with the Indian Embassy in Shanghai and Beijing.
Within a few hours, officials from the Indian Embassy in Shanghai showed up at the airport. After that intervention, her ordeal finally ended, all 18 hours long.
Pem recounted her horror during an interview to Mint.
The Pundit’s Mantra
You usually see these arguments show up on social media or other forums. Ranting about stuff on social media is one thing. However, for immigration officials to behave in a churlish manner was simply abhorrent. It seems like someone was just having a power trip and was in a mood to harass a transiting tourist for no reason.
What’s even more shocking is that Pem was detained for 18 hours in spite of there being no legal or immigration related violation that she’d committed. Even when she asked specifically for legal details, she was only laughed at or ignored. It was only at the intervention of the Indian Embassy in Shanghai that the immigration officials finally had to let her go.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Credit Card Offers
American Express Business Credit Cards
- Earn 200,000 Membership Rewards points with the Business Platinum Card
- Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards and enjoy a 0% intro APR on the Business Gold Card
Chase Sapphire Cards
- Earn 125,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- Earn 200,000 bonus points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card for Business
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss out on the deals, news and travel industry trends. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and Twitter to keep getting the latest content!
