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| Canadian Miss World 'barred from China flight' | Canadian Miss World 'barred from China flight' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Canada's Miss World contender has said she was barred from boarding a plane from Hong Kong to the Chinese city hosting this year's pageant. | Canada's Miss World contender has said she was barred from boarding a plane from Hong Kong to the Chinese city hosting this year's pageant. |
| Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, 25, says she did not receive an invitation to attend the event, which meant she could not apply for a visa. | Chinese-born Anastasia Lin, 25, says she did not receive an invitation to attend the event, which meant she could not apply for a visa. |
| But she attempted to travel to Sanya, via Hong Kong, as Canadian tourists are normally granted visas on arrival. | But she attempted to travel to Sanya, via Hong Kong, as Canadian tourists are normally granted visas on arrival. |
| Ms Lin has blamed the apparent ban on her human rights campaigning. | Ms Lin has blamed the apparent ban on her human rights campaigning. |
| She has criticised the "repressions and censorship" in China and is a practitioner of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement which China deems a cult and has banned. | |
| The Miss World tournament is due to happen in the seaside resort of Sanya on 19 December. | The Miss World tournament is due to happen in the seaside resort of Sanya on 19 December. |
| When Ms Lin first made her claim that she was not sent an invitation to attend, the BBC attempted to get in touch with Miss World authorities, but received no response. | When Ms Lin first made her claim that she was not sent an invitation to attend, the BBC attempted to get in touch with Miss World authorities, but received no response. |
| Ms Lin has claimed she found out she was barred from flying to China after trying to check in at the Dragonair counter at Hong Kong airport. | |
| She said she was interviewed over the phone by a Sanya official surnamed Chen, who verified her identity before informing her that she could not enter Sanya. | |
| Ms Lin moved from China to Canada in 2003 as a teenager. She has performed in films about the abuse of Falun Gong members, and spoken about the subject to a US Congressional committee in July. | |
| She has also claimed her father, who still resides in China, has been harassed by officials because of her activism. | |
| Falun Gong, considered an "evil cult" by Chinese authorities, first began as a spiritual movement that quickly amassed thousands of followers. | |
| After a demonstration by Falun Gong practitioners demanding recognition in 1999, Chinese authorities outlawed it and launched a crackdown. | |
| The movement's followers have accused authorities of persecution and often protest overseas to draw attention to their treatment. |