An Indian woman hailing from Arunachal Pradesh has accused Chinese immigration authorities at Shanghai Pudong International Airport of detaining and harassing her for several hours after they refused to recognise the validity of her Indian passport, citing her place of birth.
Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a resident of the United Kingdom, was travelling from London to Japan on 21 November with a scheduled three-hour transit layover at Shanghai Pudong Airport. According to her account, immigration officers at the counter declared her Indian passport “invalid” solely because it mentioned Arunachal Pradesh as her place of birth, and explicitly told her that “Arunachal Pradesh is part of China”.
“After immigration, I submitted my passport and was waiting at security. Just then, an official came and started screaming, ‘India, India,’ with my name and singled me out. When I asked, she took me to the immigration desk and said, ‘Arunachal, not valid passport’,” she recounted.
When Prema asked why her Indian passport was being deemed invalid, the officer reportedly replied without hesitation, “Arunachal is a part of China. Your passport is invalid”.
The response left her bewildered, especially since she had transited through the same Shanghai airport without incident the previous year and had even obtained prior confirmation from the Chinese Embassy in London that Indian nationals would face no issues during transit in the city.
Prema further alleged that several immigration officers as well as staff from China Eastern Airlines openly mocked her, laughed at her predicament, and sarcastically suggested that she “apply for a Chinese passport” instead.
What should have been a routine three-hour layover turned into an 18-hour ordeal confined within the airport. Throughout this period, she claimed she was repeatedly denied clear information, adequate food, and access to basic airport facilities.
She stated that her passport was confiscated by the authorities, and she was deliberately prevented from boarding her connecting flight to Japan despite possessing a valid Japanese visa.
Restricted to the transit zone, Prema said she was unable to rebook alternative flights, purchase food, or move freely between terminals. She also alleged that officials exerted pressure on her to buy a new ticket exclusively on China Eastern Airlines, strongly implying that her passport would only be returned once she complied, which ultimately resulted in significant financial losses due to missed flights and non-refundable hotel reservations.
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Eventually, with the help of a friend in the United Kingdom, she managed to contact the Indian Consulate in Shanghai. Diplomatic officials from the consulate later intervened and escorted her to a late-night flight out of the city.
In a formal letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior Indian government officials, Prema described the treatment meted out to her as a “direct insult to India’s sovereignty and to the citizens of Arunachal Pradesh”.
She has urged the Government of India to officially raise the incident with the Chinese authorities in Beijing, demand accountability and appropriate disciplinary action against the immigration officers and airline staff involved, and seek financial compensation for the losses she incurred. Additionally, she has requested firm assurances that Indian citizens born in Arunachal Pradesh will not encounter similar obstructions or humiliation during international travel in the future.
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