An Indian woman born in Arunachal Pradesh was reportedly intercepted by Chinese customs officials at the Shanghai airport last Friday, detained for 18 hours, and had her passport confiscated. The woman claimed that besides mocking her, Chinese customs officials also shouted, “Go apply for a Chinese passport.” India has lodged a strong diplomatic protest with China over the incident.
According to reports from the Indian media outlet “The Hindu” on Monday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson stated that China’s actions have created unnecessary obstacles to the process of improving relations between the two countries.
Prema Thongdok, detained for 18 hours at the Shanghai airport, described the behavior of customs and airline staff as “extremely unprofessional and rude.” She is the Chief Regulatory Consultant at a financial services company in London and has been living and working in the UK for 14 years.
Thongdok had booked a flight with China Eastern Airlines from London to Japan via Shanghai. She mentioned that she transited through China in October 2024 without any issues. However, upon her arrival in Shanghai on November 21, she was refused transit, and her Indian passport was deemed invalid due to her birthplace being Arunachal Pradesh, a region China claims as its own.
The long-standing dispute between China and India over Arunachal Pradesh has been a point of contention. Beijing condemns any official Indian activity in Arunachal Pradesh, and officials or civilians related to the region cannot obtain formal visas to visit China.
Thongdok stated she faced harassment, verbal threats, and insulting remarks from Chinese officials and staff. Despite holding a valid Japanese visa and not leaving the airport’s transit area, she was still denied boarding by the Chinese authorities.
China Eastern Airlines and Chinese customs officials later told her that unless she booked a new ticket directly through the airline, they would not return her passport. Thongdok missed her flight to Japan, incurring significant financial losses as her booked hotels, flights, and holiday plans were all canceled.
Indian diplomatic sources mentioned that on the day of the incident, India had raised strong diplomatic protests in Beijing and Delhi, and the Indian Consulate General in Shanghai intervened and assisted the stranded passenger.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson emphasized that the detention of the passenger was utterly absurd. Arunachal Pradesh is undisputed Indian territory, and its residents are fully entitled to hold Indian passports and travel with them. Furthermore, they highlighted that the actions of Chinese authorities violated regulations in the Chicago and Montreal Conventions related to civil aviation.
Thongdok mentioned that she eventually retrieved her passport, fortunately without any stamps on it. She has written to the Prime Minister’s Office of India, demanding strong protest against the Chinese government for their inappropriate treatment, unlawful detention, and unacceptable behavior towards Indian citizens.
She recounted the traumatic experience of being denied basic necessities like food and water while feeling ill, and the indifference she faced from the staff. Thongdok graduated from the Sri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi with an Honors Bachelor’s degree and obtained a Master’s in International Business in the UK.