HONG KONG: Chinese dissident Dong Guangping endured a dangerous journey to escape China, including about 40 hours at sea in a small boat with his phone battery nearly dead.

He was later detained in South Korea before finally reaching Canada last week, a place he had hoped to move to for over ten years.

Dong had been jailed several times in China, including for marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown and for earlier escape attempts. He said living in China felt like being trapped with no freedom to speak.

After being released from prison, the 68-year-old said he could not get his pension, renew his passport, and was constantly watched by police.

He had tried to escape three times before: in 2015, he went to Thailand but was sent back; in 2019, he tried to swim to a Taiwanese island; and in 2020, he reached Vietnam but was deported again.

Last month, he tried once more. On May 24, he left from Weihai in eastern China in a small rubber boat, hoping to reach Japan. But the next day, fog made navigation difficult, and his phone and power bank nearly died. Fearing for his life, he changed course toward South Korea.

He said he was scared his small boat might capsize at sea, but felt he had no choice. He believed life in China was so hard that risking death was worth it for a chance at freedom.

Later, he saw lights from ships. One vessel did not hear him, but a fishing boat eventually rescued him and called the police.

South Korean authorities detained him for entering illegally, but a court refused to approve his arrest. He was then moved to a refugee center in Incheon.

Earlier this month, the UN refugee agency contacted him. Later, officials asked for his personal details, which he later learned were part of a request from Canada.

About a week later, he flew to Toronto. He said he was surprised at how quickly everything happened and felt like it was a dream.

He believes his earlier approval to settle in Canada from 2015 was still valid. Canadian officials, the UN agency, and South Korea have not commented on his case.