(MENAFN- Live Mint) Indian national Prema Wangjom Thongdok, detained at Shanghai International Airport for 18 hours and harassed over her Arunachal identity, took to X to thank "everyone speaking in support of this diplomatic issue."

She also called out trolls on social media, writing, "...I'm new here and not active on X, it's because I have a very high-profile full-time position working in the financial services and don't have idle time to answer trolls! The right people get it."

"And the ones who don't get it are clearly not people I would engage with anyway! I don't even live in India so any action that Indian govt takes will be for the benefit & pride of my fellow Indians and Arunachalis living here, not mine. We are one nation we stand for one another," she posted on Wednesday.

What's the case?

Prema Wangjom Thongdok said she was detained at Shanghai Airport for 18 hours, and officials declared her Indian passport invalid.

The UK-based Indian citizen, who was travelling from London to Japan on 21 November, claimed her three-hour scheduled layover turned into a traumatising ordeal after Chinese immigration personnel declared her passport "invalid" solely because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.

Also Read | China denies Arunachal woman harassed at Shanghai airport: Here's what we know

Wangjom Thongdok narrated her“long ordeal,” stating that Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai Pudong Airport "mocked and raised questions" over her Indian citizenship. She added that her 18-hour detention ended only with the intervention of officials from India's missions in Shanghai and Beijing.

China rejects allegations

Earlier on Tuesday, China rejected allegations of harassment levelled by Thongdok, and stated that“the lawful rights and interests of the person concerned were fully protected and no compulsory measures were taken on her.”

PTI quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning as saying,“On the individual case you mentioned, according to what we've learned, during the entire time, China's border inspection authorities carried out check procedures in accordance with laws and regulations.”

"The airline provided her with resting facilities and meals," she said, denying Thongdok's charges.

She also defended the action taken against Thongdok, saying, "Let me point out that having border checks on people entering and exiting a country and carrying out law enforcement according to the specific situation of the entry or exit is the usual practice of border enforcement authorities of countries across the world”.

India says Arunachal is integral part of India

India, meanwhile, reiterates its consistent stance. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India.

It 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.”

Also Read | India slams China over detention of Arunachal woman at Shanghai Airport

The MEA statement said, "The issue of the detention has been taken up strongly with the Chinese side. Chinese authorities have still not been able to explain their actions, which are in violation of several conventions governing international air travel. The actions by the Chinese authorities also violate their own regulations that allow visa-free transit up to 24 hours for nationals of all countries."

(With inputs from agencies)

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