Arunachal Woman's 18-Hour Shanghai Airport Ordeal: How China's Social Media Ban Prevented Help

Prema Wangjom Thongdok, an Arunachal Pradesh-born UK resident, reports being detained at Shanghai airport for nearly 18 hours after Chinese officials refused to recognize her Indian passport as valid.

In her interview with NDTV, Thongdok emphasized that China's social media restrictions and internet censorship significantly worsened her situation by preventing her from contacting anyone for assistance.

Originally from the Rupa area in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, Thongdok has resided in the United Kingdom for 14 years where she works as a financial adviser. The incident occurred on November 21 during her journey from London to Japan, which included a scheduled three-hour transit in Shanghai.

Thongdok, now in Bangkok after being denied continuation to Japan from China, described being "singled out" by Chinese immigration at Shanghai airport. Officials pointed to "Arunachal" on her passport, claiming it was invalid.

"They said Arunachal is part of China, not India," Thongdok recounted. Her brief layover transformed into an 18-hour ordeal when Chinese immigration officials caused her to miss her connecting flight to Japan, insisting she either return to the UK or to India.

She noted that she had previously transited through the same airport in October 2024 without encountering any issues. "I had flown this route before, and I was well aware that you can transit for less than 24 hours or 12 hours without a transit visa, which is why I took on this journey," she explained.

Thongdok also highlighted China Eastern Airlines' oversight in allowing her to board the London-Shanghai flight with her Indian visa, only to face problems upon arrival in China.

Beijing's social media restrictions compounded her difficulties, as she was unable to contact Indian embassy officials in Shanghai or Beijing regarding her passport issue for hours because "none of the apps, not even Google," function in China.

"I couldn't get hold of any phone number to call Indian embassies because the Chinese Wi-Fi was really slow in the airport, and you cannot access WhatsApp, any of your socials, or even Google in China... I could not even find a number to make any contact with my family or anyone, telling them I'm stuck in China," she explained.

China's "Great Firewall" blocks numerous foreign social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. These restrictions aim to control information flow, prevent circulation of politically sensitive content, and promote domestic platforms such as WeChat and Weibo.

After arguing with Chinese officials for "10-12 hours", Thongdok said she "kind of pressured the immigration and the airline staff" to allow her to contact her lawyer.

"I told them there is no way I would stay here for this long without you guys giving me a proper, definitive written document which says that the Indian passport for holders and residents of Arunachal is invalid... I told them I needed to speak to a lawyer, and so they gave me the landline, which I used to contact my friends in London... who helped me get numbers for the Indian embassy in Shanghai, and that's when I contacted them," she recalled.

Indian embassy officials responded quickly and arrived at Shanghai airport to assist her. However, Thongdok stated that Chinese officials disregarded the Indian officials as well, continuing to deny her travel to Japan. They insisted she either return to the UK or go back to India.

"They wouldn't listen to the Indian officials either and would not completely dismiss the fact that an Indian passport is a valid travel document... Because I was so tired -- a 12-hour journey from London, almost being held for 18 hours -- I said to them, 'I just need to be out of here. So let me book any flight,'" she said.

Yet Chinese immigration refused this request too, insisting she book her next flight with China Eastern, the same airline that permitted her to board in London but prevented her from continuing to Japan.

Exhausted by the experience, Thongdok, who travels frequently, ultimately took a connecting flight from Bangkok. "I lost so much money in terms of flights and hotels," she mentioned.

China has denied allegations that Thongdok was harassed at Shanghai airport, claiming that immigration officials' actions were in accordance with laws and regulations.