An Arunachal Pradesh woman, Pema Wang Thongdok, criticised online trolls after facing harassment at Shanghai airport, where she claims Chinese officials detained her for 18 hours.
The Arunachal Pradesh woman who was harassed in China has slammed online trolls after the Shanghai airport ordeal. She stressed that any action taken by the Indian government is for the good of every Indian, not just her, striking a strong note of unity. Pema Wang Thongdok had accused Chinese officials of detaining her for 18 hours at the Shanghai airport during what was meant to be a three-hour layover while travelling from London to Japan on November 21. The immigration officials refused to recognise her Indian passport, claiming that her birthplace, Arunachal Pradesh, was “part of China,” she alleged.
Last night, Thongdok posted a note of thanks to everyone who stood by her, along with a pointed message for those who allegedly tried to troll her over the Shanghai incident.
“I would like to thank everyone speaking in support of this diplomatic issue, and while I’m new here and not active on X, it’s because I have a very high-profile full-time position working in the financial services and don’t have idle time to answer trollers,” Thongdok wrote on X.
I would like to thank everyone speaking in support of this diplomatic issue and while I’m new here & not active on X it’s because I have a very high profile Full time position working in the financial services and don’t have idle time to answer trollers! The right people get it
— Pem Wang Thongdok (@wang_pem) November 25, 2025
“I don’t even live in India so any action that Indian govt takes will be for the benefit & pride of my fellow Indians and Arunachalis living here, not mine. We are one nation we stand for one another (sic),” she added.
Arunachal Resident Narrates Airport Ordeal in Shanghai
Pema Wang Thongdok claimed that she was detained, mocked and blocked from boarding her connecting flight in Shanghai after Chinese immigration officials claimed that her passport was “invalid” because she is from Arunachal Pradesh. Pema Wangjom Thongdok, who has been residing in the United Kingdom for nearly 14 years, was travelling from London Gatwick to Osaka via Shanghai for a holiday. Thongdok claimed that she was denied access to food and was not allowed to leave the restricted area despite having flown 12 hours from London.
She said the trouble began moments after she passed the e-gates and joined the queue for security clearance for her next flight.
Narrating her experience at Shanghai airport, Thongdok claimed that a Chinese immigration official walked up to her, took her name, pointed at her passport and repeatedly said “India, India”, before taking her out of the queue without explanation. She was then taken near the manual immigration counters, where she was told, “Arunachal not India. Your visa not acceptable. Your passport invalid.”
What followed, she said, was 18 hours of confusion and humiliation.
The passenger said that she interacted with nearly 10 different immigration officials, none of whom gave a clear reason for detaining her. At one point, she alleged that officials mocked her, saying she should “apply for a Chinese passport” and that she was “Chinese, not Indian.” She told that the Airline staff of China Eastern joined the laughter and repeatedly sent her back and forth between the transfer desk and immigration desk without answers.
Despite telling officers that she had previously transited through Shanghai without a visa and that the Chinese embassy in London had confirmed that a short layover did not require one, she said officials refused to allow her to re-enter the line or board her flight to Japan.
The situation grew worse, she told, as she struggled to contact family due to slow Wi-Fi and restrictions on Google, WhatsApp and other apps.
“I told them I had transited through Shanghai before without a visa and that the Chinese embassy in London had confirmed that a short layover doesn’t require one, but they still wouldn’t let me go back into the queue or board my flight to Japan. The whole situation got worse because I couldn’t even contact my family – the Wi-Fi was really slow and you can’t open Google, you can’t open WhatsApp or Facebook. I wasn’t given any food and they wouldn’t allow me to leave that part of the terminal, even after a 12-hour flight from London.”
After repeatedly demanding to know the legal basis for the detention and asking for a way to communicate with someone outside, she said that she was finally allowed to use a landline to call a friend in London. With help from that friend, she contacted the Indian embassies in Shanghai and Beijing.
