A woman from Arunachal Pradesh, residing in the UK, experienced an 18-hour disruption during a layover in Shanghai after Chinese authorities deemed her Indian passport “invalid” due to her birthplace. Prema Thongdok was traveling from London to Japan with a scheduled three-hour transit at Shanghai Pudong Airport on November 21.
India has officially protested to China regarding the incident, issuing a “strong demarche” to Chinese officials both in Beijing and New Delhi. The Indian Consulate in Shanghai intervened to provide assistance to Thongdok, who has lived in the UK for 14 years and works as a financial adviser.
Thongdok reported that upon arrival, she was pulled from the security queue and subjected to questioning about her passport. “They pointed at my birthplace and insisted that Arunachal Pradesh is part of China, and therefore my passport is not valid,” she explained. When she inquired about the legal basis for their claims, she stated that officials could not provide an answer. Thongdok reported that she was told to acquire a Chinese passport as she was allegedly considered Chinese, and she experienced derogatory remarks throughout the ordeal.
She described being detained for 18 hours without access to food or dependable information, adding that Google services were unavailable in China. Following a lengthy 12-hour flight from London, her passport was confiscated, and despite holding a valid Japanese visa, she was barred from boarding her flight to Japan. “They said I must either return to the UK or fly to India,” she noted.
After several hours, she requested access to a phone and managed to connect with friends in the UK, who contacted the Indian consulate. “Within an hour, six officials arrived at the airport and brought me food,” she said. Despite the consulate’s intervention, Chinese authorities continued to deny her passage to Japan, requiring her to book a flight exclusively with China Eastern Airlines. Thongdok ultimately traveled to India via Thailand and is now working remotely from there.
In her communication with India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Thongdok characterized the declaration of her passport as “invalid” as a “direct challenge to India’s sovereignty.” She has called for the incident to be officially raised with China and is seeking compensation for “harassment, distress, physical and mental suffering, and financial losses.”
“I have not given up my Indian passport despite living in the UK for so many years because I love my country and didn’t want to be a foreigner in my own land,” she asserted, reflecting on her experience as likely more manageable had she held a British passport.
Sources within the Ministry of External Affairs have stated that India has made it clear to China that Thongdok’s detention was based on “ludicrous grounds.” They reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh is unequivocally Indian territory and that its residents are entitled to Indian passports. Furthermore, the Indian side pointed out that the actions of Chinese authorities violate international civil aviation norms as outlined by the Chicago and Montreal Conventions.
This incident occurs amid efforts from both nations to restore normal relations, with such actions by China adding unnecessary obstacles to that process. The Arunachal Pradesh territorial issue remains a longstanding dispute, with China claiming nearly the entire region, referred to as “Zangnan” or “South Tibet,” while India administers it as its 24th state since 1987, asserting it as an integral part of its sovereign territory.
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