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ANASTASIA LIN IS an actress who believes her outspoken advocacy of human rights in her native China played a big role in her winning bid in May to become Canada’s contestant in the Miss World pageant.
But then the host country for the global beauty pageant was changed from Australia to China, and now the Communist country appears to have singled Lin out among the contestants and is stalling over her visa application. As a result, Canada may not be represented at all in the pageant on 19 December in Sanya, China.
Ike Lalji, the chief executive of Miss World Canada, said he 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 civilised way.”
However, as a vocal supporter of Falun Gong, Lin is almost certain to be denied entry into China, with no formal reason provided.
China outlawed Falun Gong as an “evil cult” in 1999 and allows no public discussion of the movement or alleged human rights abuses connected with its suppression. Chinese law allows for the arrest and imprisonment of anyone suspected of supporting or propagating religious movements not officially approved by the state.
The spiritual and mediation group attracted millions of adherents before being outlawed as a threat to social stability. Followers say China’s crackdown has cost the lives of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners. Beijing denies that.
Lin, 25, said that if she’s allowed to go she’ll 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 she 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.
Messages left at the Chinese Embassy in Canada were not returned. A Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing was asked Tuesday whether he had any updates on allegations that China was denying Miss Canada access to the event, and declined to comment.
“Currently, I have no information to give you,” spokesman Hong Lei said.
Lin said her father in China has already come under pressure from authorities there. She said he was proud of her becoming Miss World Canada but soon urged her to stop her human rights advocacy or he would have to sever contact with her. Canada’s government has voiced concern about alleged harassment of her family in China.
Lin said she hasn’t received a letter she needs for the visa from the host city’s government, and that all the other contestants received them on 30 October.
“I’m the only person that I know of who hasn’t received it.”
Lalji, the Canadian pageant chief, said Canada won’t send the first runner-up to China if Lin doesn’t get a visa because it would be too late, noting training is scheduled to start today. He said Lin could be a few days late, however.
Miss World confirmed the pageant has also not received a letter from the Chinese government for Lin. Its legal department said in a statement the pageant will go on if Lin is not granted a visa.
“We do not have any control over who is issued a visa,” the statement said. “If we cancel or move the show each time a visa was not granted for a contestant then it would be impossible to plan the event.”
Francois Lasalle, a spokeswoman for Canada’s Foreign Affairs department, said the ministry cannot comment on China’s visa decisions, adding that the promotion of human rights remains a priority in its relationship with China.
Lin believes she won the Canadian pageant in large part because of her activism.
“The judges were resonating with my message that I tried to do this for the people who can’t speak up for themselves,” she said.
Lalji granted that “maybe a small part” of why she won was her stance on human rights but noted there are 12 competitions and different judges for each competition.
“The judges didn’t just choose her just because of her cause,” he said. “She basically did well on everything.”
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She 100% spot on. We need to focus on Irish industry and get Irish companies selling Irish products not on the googles and apples who stay here and literally pay no tax. If apple and google paid what they should be paying it would go a long way to paying off the debts that we owe.
But then they wouldn’t be here in all likelihood. So is it better to get very little corporation tax from them, but large amounts of employment taxes or to get neither and have to support through social welfare the workers currently employed by them?
At a basic level, that is what the choice comes down to.
Thats pure crap, why should we treat these corporations different than irish companies. If the big US companies pay nothing then we shouldn’t complain when an Irish company pays nothing. Treat them the same.
Then we got the vacuum when a US company leaves Ireland what do we do with the unemployed! Put them on a plane and ship them to Australia. If we have irish companies with Irish jobs then people won’t need to emigrate to get work. As long as we depend on US multi nationals we will always have emigration. It is the scourge of society since 1800
That’s what we should do, but our politicians are dancing and the corporate companies are shooting at their feet!
Ned what about the taxes paid by employees, services providers to these large orgs. Take a wholistic view of tax and not the narrow view taken by some seeking votes. Individuals pulling one narrow metric to make a broad statement is both dangerous and demonstrates limited knowledge of full end to end impact of FDi.. Little like comments from left wing TDs and unions.
Short term it works out fine. The problem i have is that we expect an irish company to pay full tax and a foreign company to pay less than 1%. If the company moves on because it can make more money in another country it will and all the jobs are lost.
If apple paid tax that the should then it would be at least 10billion. That would greatly help with current situation. Then u got google facebook and the rest!!!!
It would take a long time for all the employees of the US companies to make 10 billion.
Good MEP – knows her brief, works hard and has smart ideas. What more do can you ask? She’ll get my vote!
Mine too. She talks sense and follows through. Only genuine politician that I know of.
She’s actually one of the better ones out there, though it’s a really competitive constituency so she might struggle, especially with Ming entering the race which could split the independent left wing vote.
That is my worry. Ming is entertaining at times and while he might liven up the campaign a little bit, I fear that his decision to run means that Marian Harkin and him will both lose out. She’s built up a good reputation in Brussels and adds something substansial to the debate. Ming only adds entertainment as far as I can see.
“Independent left wing vote”?
Marian Harkin is a member of ALDE, the same group to which FF belong.
@ Noel: True that they are both part of the ALDE group within the Parliament, but it is slightly more complicated than that.
FF is a member of Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party, while Harkin is a member of the European Democratic Party – which sits with the ALDE grouping in the European Parliament in order to recieve speaking time etc.
A situation somewhat akin to the ULA sitting with Shane Ross and Stephen Donnelly in the Dáil, in order that both can benefit.
Shes right , The govt are a disgrace jetting around the world like clowns allegedly getting investment while our own homegrown entrepreneur and small investors are largely ignored. if we ever hope to get Ireland to stand on its own feet we have to build our own indigenous business from ground up. I would love to see how effective has their so called business trips versus the actual gain recieved has been.
She is right , but no one wants to see small company’s getting a start , I moved back here from the states and tried to get funding to start a company that I have been given a licence by the owner of the parent company in the states to start here , I went to local development boards , done buisness classes , went to Solas and no me wants to hear it , they asked if I was working here now ,I said no of course , and they said I would have to be in receipt of jobseekers for at least a year , which I did ,and still no . I had a meeting for one last attempt three weeks ago and the woman wouldn’t even listen to me in Solas , said I couldn’t get funding I would need to try a job bridge course or an internship and offered me a job grooming dogs , so I’m off out of here and starting it in Newyork to make capital to fund the Irish side of it myself , hopefully , but they could do more , the price of a few flights for these people would have got me going , I had bought my own vehicles for the company already ,just needed to secure first import of product ,ah well , I hope she makes changes .
Seems the job is getting a bit too much for you Marian. . .
In fairness at least she can distinguish between the yes and no buttons when voting unlike our current MEP’s FF/FG/Lab……
It isa bit early yet to be putting up posters, from 23rd April is the correct time.
Yes and cutting hedges ceases on the first of March… Buts its still being done. Country cannot run without breaking the rules.
A small roundabout beside me has 7 from the same candidate. With the catchy slogan “let’s get maynooth working”. She’s a labour candidate. ..she shouldn’t have even bothered
Two more questions
Who voted for the President of the European Council?
Did anyone in Ireland vote for Van Rompuy or for that matter Barroso or even hear of them before they took over ?
1) Who voted for the President of the European Council?
The members of the European Council in 2009 voted for him. The members of the Council are the Heads of State and Government, while the President himself is more like a secretary to a board than anything else. He organises meetings of the European Council and follows up on actions agreed afterwards.
2) Did anyone in Ireland vote for Van Rompuy or for that matter Barroso or even hear of them before they took over ?
Nope, as Van Rompuy was the Belgian Prime Minister – nobody would have voted for him in Ireland. But in effect that doesn’t really matter greatly, because his role is more akin to that of secretary of the board. The two other Presidents – President of the European Commission and President of the European Parliament – are argubably much more powerful in managing the European agenda.
Regarding Barroso, he was selected in 2004 by the members of the European Commission. However this year the process has been changed significantly and MEPs will have more of a role in electing the Commission President, like the Dáil elects the Taoiseach for example.
I hope that helps. European Voice and EurActiv both have good articles outlining how the process will work this year verses 2004.
I found her less than helpful, like most politicians, when I went to her trying to highlight the lack of formal education in my industry. Voters are growing long memories.
What industry
The blacksmith industry. We are the third largest craft industry worth €15m to the Irish economy every year but have no training facility’s. Marian did not feel we were worth supporting.
Needs to keep those hands in her pockets!
It’s rather worrying that she is the second person to say that the role of the job suits her at the moment. I’d love if my job fitted in around my circumstances.
Oh stop putting words in her mouth. She actually said “I couldn’t have done this when I had younger children …”
Yes so what I said is true
Another politician hoping to benefit from gender discrimination.
How so? She was first elected in 2004 as an MEP and is an independent, so never elected using an internal party quota.
The point she makes on the whole system of quotas is quite a good one I thought.
She makes no point at all. Simply makes an ambiguous statement about some people being given the nod because of nepotism. She doesn’t explain her position on this at all.
Do you really believe the answer to perceived inequality is actual statutory discrimination?
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