New Delhi: UK-based Arunachal Pradesh native Pem Wang Thongdok, who faced alleged harassment in China, posted a message of unity on her X account while hitting out at trolls. Notably, Thongdok's alleged 18-hour detention at Shanghai Pudong International Airport led to a diplomatic standoff between India and China. She said, "We are one nation we stand for one another."
Her remarks came after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) sent a strong message to China over the entire issue. The MEA reiterated its stance that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.
The UK-based Arunachal woman thanked all those people who supported her after she narrated her ordeal she faced at the Shanghai Airport.
“I would like to thank everyone speaking in support of this diplomatic issue," she wrote on X. "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 added.
Speaking against the online harassment she faced after the incident, she said, "And the ones who don’t get it are clearly not people I would engage with anyway!" Thongdok further stated that she does not live in India, but the action taken by the Indian government would benefit her fellow Indians and Arunachalis.
"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," she added.
The entire controversy erupted when Thongdok was travelling from London to Japan on November 21. She claimed that her three-hour scheduled layover turned into a traumatising ordeal after immigration personnel declared her passport "invalid" solely because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace.
She posted about the ordeal on November 23 through her X account. "I was held at Shanghai airport for over 18 hrs on 21st Nov, 2025 on claims by China immigration & @chinaeasternair. They called my Indian passport invalid as my birthplace is Arunachal Pradesh which they claimed is Chinese territory," Thongdok had written. She also tagged PMO and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in her post.
Responding to the incident, the MEA issued a sharp response. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the Indian government has taken the matter very seriously. He stated that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and no amount of denial by China can change this “self-evident fact.” India firmly rejected China’s claims or suggestions questioning India’s sovereignty over the state.
