Two young women archers from Arunachal Pradesh, who were prevented from boarding a China Southern Airlines flight at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport last night while they were heading to Wuxi for the Youth World Archery Championship, on Friday expressed shock and sadness over the entire incident.
"We had no clue that something of this sort would happen. We were prepared and all set for the championship. It was when we reached the airport that we got to know that our visas would not be accepted. We were very shocked," said Mihu Maselo, one of the two archers who were issued a stapled visa by the Chinese Embassy.
"When we reached the airport yesterday, we were given our visas and passports. We did not know that we had been issued stapled visas. When we went to get our boarding passes, we were told about the visas. They did not allow us to board the flight. So, we had to leave," added another archer Yumi Sorang.
The two girls met Archery Association of India President V.K. Malhotra over the issue here today.
Malhotra on his part said India should take stern steps against such acts by China.
"Once for all it should be decided whether Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir Bengal, or any such state are a part of India or not. Government has to take a call. If they are a part of India then the government should take a stern steps against such acts by China," he said.
Two young women archers from Arunachal Pradesh, who were issued stapled Chinese visas, were prevented at the IGI Airport from leaving for China last night to take part in the upcoming Youth World Archery Championship.
Mihu Maselo and Yumi Sorang, the only two from Arunachal Pradesh in the 24-member archery squad, were stopped from boarding last night's China Southern Airlines flight to Guangzhou for the Youth World Archery Championship at Wuxi.
According to reports, the airlines told the archers from Arunachal Pradesh they would not be allowed to enter China without a proper visa on their passports, and refused to accept the stapled visas issued by the Chinese Embassy.
The stabled visa issue comes at a time when Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has said that India and China have steadily built a mature and mutually productive relationship.
"India and China are two civilizational neighbours. Economic cooperation constitutes a very important part of our relationship and the growth potential of our two economies can provide the engine for greater cooperation and can also contribute to prosperity in Asia and beyond," Dr. Singh said in an interview to an Indonesian newspaper, Kompas.
"We have had differences, but we have steadily built a mature and mutually beneficial relationship. We have maintained peace and tranquility on our borders. We also collaborate on a range of regional and global issues," he added.
Dr. Singh also said that he was convinced that there was enough space in the world today for cooperative efforts by all sides to meet their needs and aspirations.
