A Chinese political dissident who fled China in a dinghy and was detained in South Korea has arrived in Canada, according to a friend. Dong Guangping landed in Toronto on Friday after an Air Canada flight, his friend Sheng Xue, a Chinese Canadian activist, announced on social media on Saturday.
Dong had been aboard a 3.3-meter (10.8-foot) inflatable boat in waters off a western South Korean island in May when he was detained by the country's coast guard for allegedly violating immigration law. This marked his fourth known attempt to leave China. During a court hearing in South Korea, Dong expressed his hope to resettle in Canada, where his wife and daughters had already been relocated, South Korean media reported.
Sheng Xue stated on X that Dong had enjoyed a meal upon his arrival and that she had worked for over 10 years to help him escape China. She shared photos of Dong with her and holding a bowl of food.
Dong, a former police officer in China, has a history of activism and previous detentions. Amnesty International reported that he was imprisoned for three years in 2001 for “inciting subversion of state power.” He also spent more than eight months in custody after being arrested in 2014 for participating in a memorial for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.
Previous escape attempts to Thailand and Vietnam resulted in his deportation back to China. Dong had also unsuccessfully attempted to swim to a Taiwanese island.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has not yet issued a comment on the matter.