Shanghai– An Indian-origin woman from Arunachal Pradesh who now lives in the United Kingdom has claimed Chinese immigration authorities at Shanghai Pudong Airport detained and harassed her for hours after refusing to accept her Indian passport during a layover.
Prema Wangjom Thongdok, who was en route from London to Japan on November 21 with a scheduled three-hour stop in Shanghai, said immigration officers declared her passport invalid because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her place of birth. She alleged the incident turned what was scheduled to be a routine transit into an 18-hour ordeal.
According to her account, officers refused to acknowledge the validity of her Indian passport and told her that “Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.” She stated that several immigration officials and members of the China Eastern Airlines staff mocked her, laughed at her, and advised her to “apply for a Chinese passport.”
She said she was held in the airport’s transit area without proper explanation, adequate food, or access to basic facilities. She alleged her passport was confiscated and that she was prevented from boarding her connecting flight despite having the required travel documents, including a visa.
Stranded in the transit zone, she said she was unable to purchase meals, rebook flights, or move freely between terminals. She further accused officials of pressuring her to purchase a new ticket specifically through China Eastern, and claimed her passport would only be returned after doing so, leading to financial losses on hotel reservations and missed bookings.
After reaching out through a friend to the Indian Consulate in Shanghai, she said Indian diplomats intervened and eventually escorted her onto a late-night departure flight.
In a letter submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior government officials, Prema described the experience as a “direct insult to India’s sovereignty and to the citizens of Arunachal Pradesh.” She urged the Indian government to raise the matter with China, seek accountability and disciplinary measures against those involved, and request compensation on her behalf.
She also called for assurances that Indian citizens from Arunachal Pradesh will be able to travel internationally without facing similar treatment. (Source: IANS)
