China scared of a beauty queen? This Miss World says so

Anastasia Lin, who was born in China, says she did not receive an invitation to attend the event because she has been outspoken about human rights violations in the country.

But Lin 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 beauty queen is a practitioner of Falun Gong, an exercise, meditation and philosophical regime that has been banned in China since 1999.

The Miss World tournament is expected to take place on 19. Lin’s photograph was missing from the list of contestants on the Miss World website on Friday, although her name and country were visible.

“My denial was unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected”.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa has declined to comment on Lin’s visa application but issued a statement on Thursday saying that “China welcomes all lawful activities organized in China by global organizations or agencies, including the Miss World pageant”.

Lin said that she had been publicly critical of China’s religious policies and is a believer in Falun Gong, a spiritual group that is banned in China and which Beijing describes as a cult.

In an apparent reference to her recent controversy, she wrote: “It has been quite a journey with lots of twists and turns to get me to this point and I firmly believe that I am all the stronger for it. This will be my first time taking such a long trip so I would love to get some feedback”.

In an email seen by the BBC, Ms Lin’s travel companion Kacey Cox is asked by airline officials to return with Ms Lin to the counter for a phone interview with a Sanya official. She spoken in regards to the matter into a US Congressional committee in July, and has performed in movies concerning the mistreatment of Falun Gong members. “Miss World didn’t even try to contact me”, she told Quartz.

She has also claims her father, who still resides in China, has been harassed by officials because of her activism.

“They’re sending this message to every Chinese or every fearless person who dare to speak their minds… they want to show people that this is what you get when you speak up”, Lin told AFP late Thursday.

The followers of the movement hold demonstrations beyond China to bring attention with their treatment and generally have accused authorities of persecution.