Miss World Canada stopped in HK from reaching China pageant 'over rights comments'
- 8 years ago
Canada's China-born Miss World contestant was stopped in Hong Kong on Thursday and denied permission to board a flight to the beauty pageant finals in China, a move she said was punishment for speaking out against human rights abuses in the country.
Anastasia Lin, a Toronto actress crowned Miss World Canada in May, was unable to obtain a visa in advance of her arrival for the contest finals this week in Sanya, on the southern Chinese resort island of Hainan.
But she said she attempted to enter the country anyway based on a rule that allows Canadian citizens to obtain a landing visa upon arrival in Sanya.
"The Chinese government has barred me from the competition for political reasons.
They are trying to punish me for my beliefs and prevent me from speaking out about human rights issues," Lin said in the statement, prepared before her departure.
Anastasia Lin, a Toronto actress crowned Miss World Canada in May, was unable to obtain a visa in advance of her arrival for the contest finals this week in Sanya, on the southern Chinese resort island of Hainan.
But she said she attempted to enter the country anyway based on a rule that allows Canadian citizens to obtain a landing visa upon arrival in Sanya.
"The Chinese government has barred me from the competition for political reasons.
They are trying to punish me for my beliefs and prevent me from speaking out about human rights issues," Lin said in the statement, prepared before her departure.