'We are one nation, we stand for one another': Post visa row, Arunachal woman sends message to trolls

An Indian woman was detained at the Shanghai airport allegedly because she hails from Arunachal Pradesh shared a message of solidarity on X on Wednesday (November 26). Prema Wangjom Thongdok, currently based in the United Kingdom, expressed gratitude for the widespread support she received after the diplomatic row. She also explained her limited presence on social media, writing, “…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.”

In another post, Thongdok, originally from Rupa in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, brushed aside attempts to minimise her experience online, saying that she would not “engage with (them) anyway." She added, “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.”

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What happened at the airport, and why did it escalate diplomatically?

Thongdok was travelling from London to Japan with a brief stopover in Shanghai on November 21. During security checks, she says she was singled out and taken to immigration officials who mocked her identity. “When I tried to question them and ask them what the issue was, they said, ‘Arunachal is not part of India’ and started mocking and laughing and saying things like ‘you should apply for the Chinese passport, you’re Chinese, you’re not Indian,” she was quoted as saying to news agency ANI.

She said her passport was taken away and she was barred from boarding her connecting China Eastern Airlines flight, despite having a valid visa for Japan. She managed to reach out to Indian diplomatic staff in Shanghai and Beijing, after which officials intervened. Describing the ordeal, she said, “…Within an hour, the Indian officials came to the airport, got me some food and spoke through the issues with them and helped me get out of the country. A very long ordeal, 18 hours, but glad that I’m out of there.”

India reacted strongly, issuing a formal protest to Beijing, with the Indian consulate in Shanghai raising the matter locally. China, however, denied any mistreatment and reiterated its territorial claim over Arunachal Pradesh. Responding to China’s remarks, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal asserted that Arunachal Pradesh is an “integral and inalienable part of India.” He added that “No amount of denial by the Chinese side is going to change this indisputable reality.”