Arunachal Pradesh is a state in northeast India. It means means Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains. Rising from the Assam Plains in the south into the lofty Himalayas in the north, it shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and a disputed 1,129 km border with China’s Tibet Autonomous Region in the north at the McMahon Line.

In November 2025, Pema Wangjom Thongdok, an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh traveling from London to Japan, was detained for 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport. Chinese officials deemed her passport invalid because her birthplace was listed as Arunachal Pradesh, which they claimed is part of China. She was subjected to harassment, denied food, and forced to rebook flights. 

• The Reason: Chinese immigration officials refused to recognise her Indian passport, stating, “Arunachal not in India, China,”.
• Detention: She was held in a transit area for 16-18 hours, missing her connecting flight.
• Harassment Allegations: Thongdok reported that staff mocked her, suggested she should get a Chinese passport, and denied her proper facilities.
• Official Intervention: Following the ordeal, the Indian Consulate in Shanghai intervened to assist her.
• Diplomatic Response: India issued a strong demarche to China, calling the detention “ludicrous” and reiterating that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India.
• Context: This incident highlights ongoing border tensions between India and China, as Beijing often claims areas of Arunachal Pradesh as southern Tibet. 

People of Arunachal cannot go to China because China does not recognise their Indian passports. But if they were recognised as Chinese nationals, they ought to be able to hold Chinese passports and live in HK or Shanghai. They can’t. This means that China doesn’t really care about them and only wants possession of their territory.

Arunachal has come a long way since the 1962 Sino-Indian War. Highly militarised, the people no longer believe in the slogan of “Hindi China Bhai Bhai” (Indian Chinese brother brother). But apart from the stunning Himalayan scenery accessible on wheels, Arunachal is also a land of legends and romance. The poetic 6th Dalai Lama, well known for his romantic verses, was born in the border town of Tawang. In 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from PRC-controlled Tibet and entered India via Tawang. From then on, thousands of Tibetan refugees flocked into Tawang.

For years, Tawang has piqued my interest. Are the views good? Is the landscape inspiring for folks like me? How do the museums portray their heroes? How do the people feel about the Chinese invaders? With recent infrastructural developments, travel to Tawang is supposed to be more convenient than before. I decided to give it a try in 2026.