Is China blocking entry of Miss World Canada?

Anastasia Lin believes her outspoken advocacy of human rights in her native China played a big role in her winning the Miss World Canada title in May. Now, however, she believes it is the reason why she has yet to receive her visa.

Anastasia Lin, Canada’s Miss World contestant, believes China is preventing her from getting a visa to attend the Miss World pageant because of her criticism of the country’s human rights. Frank Gunn/Show more

TORONTO // Canada may not be represented at the Miss World pageant in China next month.

Miss World Canada, actress Anastasia Lin, who believes her outspoken advocacy of human rights in her native China played a big role in her winning the title in May.

But then the host country for the global beauty pageant was changed from Australia to China. Now, the communist country appears to have singled Lin out among the contestants and is stalling over her visa application.

As a result, it’s unclear whether Canada will be represented at all in the pageant on December 19 in Sanya, China.

Ike Lalji, the chief executive of Miss World Canada, has assured officials at the pageant’s London headquarters that Lin would focus on the competition and not go out of her way to draw attention to her involvement in Falun Gong, a spiritual group outlawed in China.

“She’s not going to do anything crazy over there that’s going to upset the government of China,” he said. “Our whole approach is to do it peacefully. If anything is going to happen, it’s going to happen in a very civilized way.”

But Lin, 25, said that if allowed to go, she will continue to speak out for Falun Gong.

“I’m in the Miss World contest. I’m not going to do anything irrational, that’s non-peaceful,” she said, but pointedly added: “I am going to speak my mind, that’s for sure.”

“I’m going back to China for the Chinese people,” Lin said. “I want them to have hope and see that someone else outside is fighting for their freedom. I guess that’s what they are most afraid of.”

Lin, who moved to Canada when she was 13, has been anything but shy about her beliefs. Two months after winning the Canadian pageant, she testified at a US congressional hearing about religious persecution in China. She also plays an imprisoned Falun Gong practitioner in an upcoming Canadian movie, The Bleeding Edge.

Falun Gong attracted millions of adherents before being outlawed in 1999 by China’s government, which has little tolerance for grassroots spiritual movements and regards the group as a threat to social stability.

Followers say China’s crackdown has cost the lives of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners which Beijing denies.

Lin said she has not received a letter she needs for the visa from the host city’s government, and that all the other contestants received them on October 30. “I’m the only person that I know of who hasn’t received it.”

* Associated Press