After the Indian government came under criticism for revoking Chinese activist Dolkun Isa’s visa at the last minute, there is fresh cause for embarrassment for the government. Lu Jinghua, a well-known Chinese activist scheduled to meet the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, was barred from boarding an Air India flight, according to an India Today report.
Apart from Jinghua, India also reportedly denied a visa to Ra Wong, a Hong Kong-based activist. He is out on bail after being charged with rioting following the unrest in Mong Kok over the Chinese New Year.
The Ministry of External Affairs, however, said that the two activists were denied visa as they failed to provide proper documentation.
A source at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the visas were not revoked as the two people weren’t granted permission in the first place.
We have received some information from Ministry of Home Affairs on both these cases. Insofar as Lu Jinghua is concerned, her documents were illegible and there was inconsistency with the purpose of her visit. Insofar as Ray Wong is concerned, there was data inconsistency in his documents. As such visas were not issued to both these individuals. Question of revocation does not arise.MEA Source
A well-known Tiananmen activist, Lu Jinghua was scheduled to meet the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala on 28 April. However, she said that just as she was about to board an Air India flight from New York, she was told her visa was cancelled. This, even after she received am email confirmation for an electronic visa.
At the airport, the Air India staff told me simply that I couldn’t board as my visa was cancelled. The staff did not tell me why, they kept me waiting at the counter for a long time and were having a heated conversation with each other in Hindi.Lu Jinghua, Tiananmen Activist
Interestingly enough, Lu was supposed to attend a meeting of Chinese dissidents and exiles in Dharamsala – the same meeting which Uighur leader Dolkun Isa had planned to visit.
According to Indian officials, conference visa is required to attend meetings.
Sources say that many activists had travelled to India with no problems on tourist visas in the past. But following the cancellation of Isa’s visa, the heightened attention on the 28 April meeting may have led to Lu’s visa cancellation.
However, the exact reason for Lu’s visa being revoked has not been specified and the MEA has not released a statement yet.
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