Asian Games: Sports Minister Cancels Visit to China in Protest against Denial of Entry to Three Players from Arunachal Pradesh
Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 22: India on Friday filed a formal protest and cancelled the union sports minister Anurag Thakur’s visit in view of China’s “deliberate and selective obstruction of sportspersons” after Beijing denied visas and accreditation to athletes from Arunachal Pradesh to participate in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Three women wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh, which is claimed by China, couldn’t travel to Hangzhou as they were unable to download travel documents from an official Chinese website. The rest of the wushu squad – comprising a total of 10 players – faced no such issues and boarded a flight on Wednesday for Hong Kong, from where they had a connecting flight to Hangzhou. This was the second time in about two months that the same three players were barred by Chinese authorities from a sports event in China.
Thakur cancelled his visit to China in protest following the development. Thakur was to represent in the opening ceremony of the games but now no official would represent India and only the sport persons participating in the games would be present.
Mr Thakur’s cabinet colleague Kiren Rijiju, who is an Arunachal Pradesh MP, told reporters he “strongly condemns this illegal (and) illegitimate action… China has no right to deny the entry of people from Arunachal Pradesh.” “We are condemning China’s act but the International Olympic Committee should condemn it as well. They should not sit quietly because such acts may be an injustice to players in future as well,” he said.
According to reports, two athletes – Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu – cleared by the Hangzou Asian Games’ organising committee were unable to download accreditation cards that double as visas. A third – Nyeman Wangsu – downloaded the accreditation but was then denied entry.
“… India has learnt that Chinese authorities have, in a targeted and pre-meditated manner, discriminated against some Indian sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh by denying them accreditation and entry to the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China,” the government said on Friday. “In line with our long-standing and consistent position, India firmly rejects differential treatment of Indian citizens on basis of domicile or ethnicity. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
Mr Bagchi said the government had lodged a strong protest in New Delhi and Beijing over China’s “deliberate and selective obstruction” of Indian athletes. He said the government had noted that these actions “violate both the spirit of the Asian Games and rules governing their conduct.” India “reserves the right to take suitable measures to safeguard (its) interests”, Mr Bagchi added.
China claims Arunachal Pradesh – which it calls South Tibet – as its territory. Last month, in a move that drew international criticism, the Chinese issued a new “standard” map that included the north-eastern state and the Aksai Chin region in eastern Ladakh within its boundaries.
“Further, as a mark of our protest against the Chinese action, minister of information and broadcasting and youth affairs and sports of India has cancelled his scheduled visit to China for the games,” he said. Bagchi said Chinese authorities discriminated against some Indian sportspersons from Arunachal Pradesh in a “targeted and pre-meditated manner” by denying them accreditation and entry to the Asian Games.
China’s action “violates both the spirit of the Asian Games and the rules governing their conduct, which explicitly prohibits discrimination against competitors from member states,” he said.
The Indian government reserves the “right to take suitable measures to safeguard our interests,” Bagchi said, without giving details.
The development comes at a time when India-China relations are at a six-decade low over the dragging military standoff on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). India has linked the normalisation of relations to the restoration of peace and tranquillity in the border areas.
“In line with our long-standing and consistent position, India firmly rejects differential treatment of Indian citizens on the basis of domicile or ethnicity. Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India,” Bagchi pointed out.
“Once the athletes received the accreditation cards from the organising committee, it meant that they have been cleared to travel for the Asian Games. But surprisingly, only these three players could not download their documents and they could not board the flight,” said an Indian official.
In the last week of July, the same players could not compete at the World University Games in Chengdu (July 18-Aug 8) because they were given stapled visas by China. Stapled visas are meant to indicate that China doesn’t recognise India’s sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh. India has consistently rejected China’s claim that the north-eastern state is a disputed territory. The eight-member Indian wushu team had then withdrawn from the event in Chengdu in protest.
