Indian-origin woman alleges harassment by Chinese officials, refused to recognise Indian passport
PTC News Desk: An Indian-origin woman from UK has accused Chinese immigration officials of harassing her and refusing to recognise her Indian passport.
Prema Wangjom Thongdok was travelling from London to Japan on November 21, with a three-hour stop at Shanghai Pudong Airport.
She said that immigration officers there called her passport “invalid” because it mentioned Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace, and they told her, “Arunachal Pradesh is part of China.” She explained that after immigration, she had handed over her passport and was waiting at security when an officer began shouting “India, India” along with her name. The officer then took her back to the immigration counter and said, “Arunachal, not valid passport.” Prema said she was shocked because she had travelled through Shanghai last year without any problems and had even checked with the Chinese Embassy in London, which said Indian travellers would not face issues.
She also claimed that several immigration staff and China Eastern Airlines employees mocked her, laughed at her, and even suggested that she “apply for a Chinese passport.” What should have been a short layover turned into an 18-hour struggle inside the airport. She said she was not given clear information, proper food, or access to basic airport services. She also claimed that her passport was kept from her and she was not allowed to board her flight to Japan even though she had a valid visa.
Stuck in the transit area, she said she couldn’t rebook flights, buy food, or move between terminals. She alleged that officials forced her to buy a new ticket only on China Eastern and hinted that she would get her passport back only after doing so, causing her loss of money due to missed flights and hotel bookings.
Eventually, with help from a friend in the UK, she contacted the Indian Consulate in Shanghai. Indian officials later escorted her onto a late-night flight out of the city.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior authorities, Prema described the treatment she received as “a direct insult to India’s sovereignty and to the people of Arunachal Pradesh.”
- With inputs from agencies
