Beijing rejects allegations after Arunachal woman claims humiliation at Shanghai Airport

A woman from Arunachal Pradesh, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, has alleged that Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai Pudong Airport humiliated her, declared her Indian passport “invalid,” and obstructed her onward travel to Japan during a transit from London.

Thongdok, an Indian citizen who has lived in the UK for nearly 14 years, said she was pulled out of the immigration queue without explanation. 

“One of the officials came over and pulled me out of the line. When I asked what was happening, she said, ‘Arunachal— not India. China-China. Your visa is not acceptable. Your passport is invalid,’” she recounted.

According to her account, officials mocked her repeatedly. “They laughed and said Arunachal is not part of India. They told me, ‘You should apply for a Chinese passport—you’re Chinese, you’re not Indian.’ 

Even the China Eastern airline staff joined in, pointing at my passport and mocking the name Arunachal,” she said.

Unable to contact her family for hours, she described the episode as “humiliating and unprofessional,” adding that she had previously transited through Shanghai without issues.

After several hours, she was able to reach Indian diplomatic missions. “I called the Indian embassies in Shanghai and Beijing. Within an hour, officials arrived, got me food, spoke to the authorities, and helped me leave. It was an exhausting 18-hour ordeal,” she said.

However, Beijing dismissed the allegations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, “Zangnan is China’s territory. The Chinese side has never recognised the so-called ‘Arunachal Pradesh’ illegally set up by India.”

She claimed that border authorities acted strictly according to law, insisting that checks were “impartial and non-abusive,” no coercive measures were taken, and the traveller’s “lawful rights and interests were fully protected.”

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu strongly condemned the incident, calling it “unacceptable” and “appalling.”

“Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always be, an integral part of India. Any insinuation otherwise is baseless and offensive,” he asserted.