(TibetanReview.net, Nov25’25) – India has lodged a strong protest with China following an incident last week in which an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was severely ill-treated at Shanghai airport, refusing to recognise her Indian passport during a transit halt, reported the PTI news agency Nov 24, citing government sources. Chief Minister Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh has also condemned China for its “appalling” treatment of a woman from his state.
Following the incident of harassment of Pema Wangjom Thongdok on Nov 21 on “ludicrous grounds”, a strong demarche (a formal diplomatic protest) was made with the Chinese side, in Beijing and in Delhi, on the same day the incident took place, the report cited the sources as saying.
Thongdok was travelling from London, where she currently resides, to Japan and landed in Shanghai for a three-hour layover.
India firmly conveyed to the Chinese side that Arunachal Pradesh is “indisputably” an Indian territory and its residents are perfectly entitled to hold and travel with Indian passports, the report cited India as having said.
In a series of X posts, Thongdok had said Chinese immigration officials at Shanghai airport detained her for 18 hours on the grounds that her passport was “invalid” as her birthplace was Arunachal Pradesh.
China claims that Arunachal Pradesh is its territory, calling it “Zangnan” (Southern Tibet) on the basis of its armed annexation of Tibet in the 1950’s.
“It was stressed that the passenger had been detained on ludicrous grounds. Arunachal Pradesh is indisputably Indian territory, and its residents are perfectly entitled to hold and travel with Indian passports,” one of the sources was quoted as saying.
It was also stated to have been highlighted that “the actions of the Chinese authorities are in contravention of the Chicago and Montreal Conventions relating to civil aviation.”
At a time when both sides are working on restoring normalcy, such actions by the Chinese side introduce unnecessary obstructions to the process, the sources have said.
Meanwhile Khandu has said he was “deeply shocked” by the ordeal faced by Pema Wangjom Thongdok.
“Subjecting her, despite a valid Indian passport, to such treatment is appalling,” the chief minister has said in a post on X.
He has asserted, “Arunachal Pradesh is and will always be an integral part of India. Any insinuation otherwise is baseless and offensive.”
Calling the incident a “violation of international norms and an affront to the dignity of Indian citizens”, Khandu has expressed confidence that the Ministry of External Affairs would take up the matter urgently to ensure such episodes are not repeated.