Arunachal Pradesh – A deeply troubling incident of Shanghai airport harassment has sparked a diplomatic row between India and China after a UK-based Indian citizen was detained for 18 hours during a layover. Pema Wangjom Thongdok’s ordeal at Shanghai Pudong Airport has brought the sensitive issue of Arunachal Pradesh’s sovereignty back into sharp focus, with both nations offering starkly different versions of what transpired.
Three-Hour Layover Becomes 18-Hour Nightmare
The Shanghai airport harassment case began on November 21 when Pema Wangjom Thongdok, a financial advisor in her 30s, was traveling from London to Japan. What should have been a routine three-hour layover at Shanghai Pudong Airport transformed into a traumatizing 18-hour ordeal that left her stranded, distressed, and questioning her treatment as an Indian citizen.
Immigration officials at the airport allegedly singled her out from other passengers and took her aside for questioning. The officials pointed to her birthplace entry in the passport, which listed Arunachal Pradesh, and informed her that the region “is a part of China,” therefore declaring her Indian passport “not valid.”
Shocking Treatment and Racial Mockery
During the Shanghai airport harassment incident, Thongdok reported experiencing deeply offensive treatment from Chinese officials. “One of them even said that I should get a Chinese passport, because I am Chinese. They were mocking me,” she recounted, describing the humiliation and racial undertones of her treatment.
The officials confiscated her passport, blocked her from boarding her connecting flight to Japan despite possessing a valid visa, and made her wait without adequate access to food or reliable information about her situation. “They insisted that I have to either fly back to the UK or fly to India,” she explained, highlighting the arbitrary nature of the restrictions imposed on her.
Previous Transit Without Issues
What makes this Shanghai airport harassment even more perplexing is that Thongdok had passed through the same Shanghai airport without any problems earlier in October. The sudden change in treatment raises questions about whether this represented a deliberate policy shift or an isolated incident driven by individual officials’ actions.
Thongdok has been living in the United Kingdom for 14 years but maintained her Indian passport out of love for her country. She is originally from Rupa in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district, where her family continues to reside.
Indian Consulate Intervention
As the Shanghai airport harassment continued, Thongdok managed to contact the Indian consulate in Shanghai through a UK-based friend. Officials from the consulate intervened and helped her board a late-night flight from the Chinese city, finally ending her ordeal.
Following the incident, she wrote a detailed letter to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, describing her experience and calling it a “direct challenge to India’s sovereignty and deeply distressing to any Indian citizen.”
Demand for Action and Compensation
In her correspondence regarding the Shanghai airport harassment, Thongdok emphasized that “a bilateral or geopolitical matter was misdirected at a private Indian citizen, which should never occur in any international transit setting.” She insisted that the incident be taken up “strongly” with the Chinese government.
Additionally, she demanded compensation for “harassment, distress, and physical and mental suffering” as well as “financial losses” incurred due to the detention. “Despite being in the UK for so many years, I have not given up my Indian passport because I love my country and don’t want to be a foreigner in my own land, though I probably would not have had an experience like this if I had a British passport,” she stated.
India’s Official Response
Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs revealed that India told China the passenger had been detained on “ludicrous grounds” during the Shanghai airport harassment incident. The Indian side highlighted that the actions contravene the Chicago and Montreal Conventions relating to civil aviation.
India emphasized that Arunachal Pradesh is indisputably Indian territory, and its residents are perfectly entitled to hold Indian passports. The ministry stressed that such treatment of Indian citizens traveling internationally is completely unacceptable.
China’s Counter-Narrative
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning offered a starkly different account of the Shanghai airport harassment, claiming that Thongdok was not subjected to any compulsory measures. She asserted that the airline provided Thongdok with a place to rest, drinks, and food during her extended stay.
Mao reiterated China’s controversial claims over Arunachal Pradesh, referring to it by the Chinese name “Zangnan” or South Tibet. “China never acknowledges the so-called Arunachal Pradesh, illegally set up by India,” she stated, adding that “China’s border inspection authorities have gone through the whole process according to the laws and regulations and fully protected the lawful rights and interests of the person concerned.”
Arunachal Chief Minister’s Strong Reaction
Responding to the Shanghai airport harassment, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed deep shock, calling it a “violation of international norms and an affront to the dignity of Indian citizens.”
“Subjecting her despite a valid Indian passport to humiliation and racial mockery is appalling. Arunachal Pradesh is, and will always be an integral part of India. Any insinuation otherwise is baseless and offensive,” Khandu wrote, firmly rejecting China’s territorial claims.
Broader Implications
The Shanghai airport harassment incident highlights how territorial disputes between nations can directly impact ordinary citizens attempting to travel internationally. The case raises serious questions about the treatment of Indian passport holders at Chinese airports and whether similar incidents might occur in the future, potentially affecting thousands of travelers from the northeastern region.
