Overview
- Dong landed in Toronto late Friday, his arrival confirmed and documented by Chinese‑Canadian activist Sheng Xue with photos and social posts.
- He crossed the Yellow Sea in May in a 3.3‑metre inflatable boat, spent nearly two days at sea after engine trouble, was picked up by a South Korean fishing vessel and detained by the South Korea coast guard.
- After a South Korean court hearing he said he hoped to go to Canada to join his wife and daughters, who were resettled there in 2015.
- Canadian immigration officials had not publicly confirmed his status at the time of reporting, and Dong says he was contacted by the U.N. refugee agency while in South Korea before boarding a flight to Toronto.
- Rights groups note Dong’s long history of detention in China and past deportations from Thailand and Vietnam, and activists warn his case highlights the danger of maritime flight and the risk of reprisals against relatives and helpers still in China.