India Protests Detention of Arunachal Woman in Shanghai

India has lodged a formal protest with China over the detention of an Indian citizen from Arunachal Pradesh at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on November 21, describing the incident as arbitrary and detrimental to efforts to stabilize bilateral relations. The woman, Prema Wangjom Thongdok, a United Kingdom-based professional originally from the northeastern Indian state, was held for approximately 18 hours during a layover while traveling from London to Japan.

Thongdok, who works in financial reporting for a UK firm, recounted being singled out by immigration officials during security checks for her connecting flight. She said authorities declared her valid Indian passport invalid because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace, a region China claims as its territory known as Zangnan or southern Tibet. According to Thongdok, officials mocked her nationality, insisting the area belongs to China and suggesting she apply for a Chinese passport. She described being confined in the transit area without food for hours, unable to board her flight, and facing humiliation from both immigration staff and airline personnel. "They were laughing and pointing at my passport,...