OUR CORRESPONDENT
ITANAGAR: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Tuesday denounced the Chinese immigration authorities for what he described as the “unacceptable” and “appalling” treatment of a woman from the state, who was detained for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport after officials allegedly refused to recognize her Indian passport.
Khandu said he was “deeply shocked” by the ordeal faced by Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a UK-based Indian citizen, adding that the conduct of Chinese officials amounted to humiliation and “racial mockery”.
“Subjecting her, despite a valid Indian passport, to such treatment is appalling,” the chief minister said in a post on X.
“Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always be, an integral part of India. Any insinuation otherwise is baseless and offensive,” he added.
Calling the incident a violation of international norms and an affront to the dignity of Indian citizens, he said he was confident that the Ministry of External Affairs would take up the matter urgently to ensure such episodes are not repeated.
Thongdok, who hails from Rupa in West Kameng district and currently lives in the UK, was travelling from London to Japan on November 21 when her three-hour layover turned into a prolonged and distressing confrontation.
In a social media post, she alleged that Chinese immigration officials declared her passport “invalid” because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace, insisting instead that the state was “part of China” and demanding she accept their claim.
In a detailed post on X on Sunday, she wrote: “I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hours on 21 November 2025 by China immigration and China Eastern Airlines. They called my Indian passport invalid because my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is Chinese territory.”
She said she was confined to the transit area without clear explanations, proper food, or basic facilities. Her passport was allegedly confiscated, and she was prevented from boarding her connecting flight to Japan despite holding a valid visa.
The situation eased only after she managed to contact the Indian consulate in Shanghai through a friend in the UK. Consulate officials eventually helped her board a late-night flight out of China.
Thongdok has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior officials, describing the episode as a “direct insult to India’s sovereignty and the people of Arunachal Pradesh”.
She urged the government to take up the matter strongly with Beijing, demand accountability, seek disciplinary action against those involved, and push for compensation for the harassment she faced.
PTI could not reach Thongdok or her mother, Sang Chom Thongdok Pema Choeling, for comments.
The incident comes amid China’s long-standing claim over Arunachal Pradesh, which it refers to as “South Tibet”, a claim India has consistently rejected as baseless. Beijing’s recurrent attempts to reinforce its position through diplomatic, cartographic, and administrative measures have strained bilateral ties in recent years.
Acts such as renaming villages in Arunachal Pradesh, issuing “standard maps” showing Indian territory as Chinese, and objecting to visits by Indian leaders to the state have repeatedly triggered strong responses from New Delhi.
Thongdok’s experience has also revived concerns over China’s widely criticised practice of issuing stapled visas to residents of Arunachal Pradesh instead of stamped ones, a move India views as a challenge to its sovereignty.
Several athletes, students, and officials from the state have previously been denied entry to China for refusing stapled visas, prompting diplomatic protests and cancellations of bilateral exchanges.
According to an official in Itanagar, this latest incident has raised fears that China may now be extending its “stapled-visa logic” to international transit points, potentially targeting travellers from Arunachal Pradesh even during routine airport layovers.
Also Read: Arunachal Dispute: Indian-Origin Woman Harassed at China Airport