Arunachal Woman Detained in China for 18 Hours: "Told to Apply for Chinese Passport" During Airport Harassment

Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian woman residing in the UK for 14 years, has reported being detained for 18 hours at China's Pudong Airport when immigration officials declared her Indian passport "invalid" because her birthplace, Arunachal Pradesh, was allegedly "not part of India."

Thongdok explained that she had previously transited through the same airport without any issues. However, during her three-hour layover in Shanghai on November 21 while traveling from London to Japan, she was "singled out" and subjected to harassment.

"When I questioned them about the issue, they claimed 'Arunachal is not part of India' and began mocking me, saying things like 'You should apply for a Chinese passport; you're Chinese, not Indian,'" she told ANI news agency.

Despite being a long-term UK resident, Thongdok firmly identifies as an Indian citizen. Her family continues to reside in Rupa area in Arunachal Pradesh's West Kameng district.

Describing the incident, she said, "A Chinese immigration official removed me from the queue. When I asked what was happening, she stated, 'Arunachal - not India, China - China, your visa is not acceptable. Your passport is invalid.'"

Thongdok recalled how officials laughed at her while insisting she should apply for a Chinese passport, denying her Indian nationality.

During her detention, she was denied access to food, airport facilities, and updates on her status for hours. "I couldn't contact my family for a very long time," she said.

"Both China Eastern airline staff and immigration officers were pointing at 'Arunachal' while laughing and calling it China, not India. This behavior from official personnel was humiliating and questionable," Thongdok added.

Eventually, she contacted the Indian Consulate in Shanghai and Beijing through a friend in the UK.

"Within an hour, Indian officials arrived at the airport, brought me food, addressed the issues with Chinese authorities, and helped me leave the country. It was an exhausting 18-hour ordeal, but I'm relieved to be out," she said.

Thongdok has written to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Prime Minister's Office, Arunachal Pradesh's Chief Minister, and the Foreign Secretary, urging them to prevent similar incidents from happening to "normal citizens."

"Being harassed for so many hours seems like a deliberate tactic by the Chinese government to trouble Indian citizens, particularly those from Arunachal Pradesh. I'm grateful to the Indian embassy team who finally helped me leave around 10:30 PM," she added.

She firmly asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India: "We speak 'shuddh Hindi'; we don't understand a word of Chinese; we are all Indian. I want to raise awareness that residents of northeast India should not face such harassment or be told they aren't citizens of the country they proudly belong to."

"I urge the Indian government to raise this diplomatically with Chinese authorities. This isn't something a regular citizen can resolve. I request the government to take strict action against Chinese authorities regarding such matters."

The incident prompted an immediate and strong protest from New Delhi, with India describing the detention as "ludicrous" and "unacceptable."

Government sources informed ANI that a strong démarche was issued to the Chinese side, both in Beijing and Delhi, on the same day of the incident.

The Indian Consulate in Shanghai addressed the matter locally and provided full assistance to Thongdok. Officials emphasized that she had been detained on absurd grounds, as Arunachal Pradesh is undisputedly Indian territory, and its residents have every right to hold and travel with Indian passports.

New Delhi also pointed out that the actions of Chinese authorities violated the Chicago and Montreal Conventions on civil aviation. At a time when both nations are working to restore normal relations, such actions by China create unnecessary obstacles to the process.