China detains woman from ‘disputed’ Arunachal at Shanghai airport

NEW DELHI: An Arunachal Pradesh–born Indian woman was detained and denied transit clearance for nearly 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport when Chinese immigration refused to accept her Indian passport.

Chinese officials declared the woman’s passport “invalid” on the grounds that her birthplace — Arunachal Pradesh — was “part of China”.

The woman, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, originally from West Kameng district and currently residing in the UK, was stopped on November 21 while travelling from London to Japan. Despite holding a valid Japanese visa, she was barred from boarding her connecting flight, her passport was confiscated, and she was allegedly pressured to purchase a new ticket on China Eastern Airlines.

Thongdok said immigration officials mocked her, told her to apply for a “Chinese passport”, and refused food, internet access and assistance during her detention. She suffered major financial losses due to missed flights and hotel bookings. After she contacted a friend in the UK, the Indian Consulate in Shanghai intervened late at night, provided her food and secured her release. Indian officials termed the detention “ludicrous”, stressing that Arunachal Pradesh is Indian territory and its residents are fully entitled to travel on Indian passports. Monitoring Desk