Fifth Hong Kong Bookseller Goes Missing, Raises Concerns

In a news conference, Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, said that only local authorities could enforce the law under “One Country, Two Systems” framework. He added there was “no indication” so far that Lee may have been kidnapped by Chinese State Security agents in the financial hub and whisked across the border to China, though investigations were ongoing.

The remarks, referring to the “special administrative region” (SAR) of Hong Kong, came as British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond began his two-day visit to China and after China’s foreign ministry warned that it would not tolerate outside interference in the affairs of Hong Kong. “We feel that Hong Kong is not Hong Kong anymore, it is named as Hong Kong only”. Point is, this divide that is polarising a section of Hong Kong society where young people like Joel feel that they have to declare themselves HongKongers and not “Chinese” is being fed by such episodes.

According to the BBC, Lee had alerted authorities when four of his colleagues from Causeway and another related publishing house, Mighty Current, disappeared.

In an interview with RFA, Ho said the case of the missing booksellers is the latest in a long line of assaults on Hong Kong’s traditional freedom of expression and publication. The Chinese words on banner reads “Where is Lee Bo?” And even the central government and the Hong Kong government refused to respond – well, previously – on the whereabouts of these citizens are.

The company’s co-owner, Gui Minhai, is also among those missing, as are bookstore manager Lam Wing-kei, general manager of the publishing house Lui Bo, and business manager Cheung Jiping.

Yet, democracy campaigners are afraid the city’s autonomy and its own British-style liberties are being eroded, pointing to growing dangers to freedom of academic liberty and the press.

“The Hong Kong government is highly concerned about the wellbeing of Hong Kong people in the city and overseas”.

The mystery surrounding five missing Hong Kong booksellers known for titles banned in mainland China deepened after one purportedly wrote a letter saying he was fine and helping with an investigation on the mainland, prompting his wife to drop a missing person’s report.

Lee reportedly called and told his wife Sophie Choi that he was assisting with an investigation, and then told her not to make a scene about his disappearance.

The suspected abductions of five Hong Kong booksellers who specialised in salacious books about China’s Communist party elite are an attempt to stamp out a “smear campaign” against Chinese president Xi Jinping, a source has claimed.

“The most scary thing is, there’s no news and no proof on what happened to those five publishers”, Avery Ng, of the League of Social Democrats, said.

It covered a period of his life when he held official posts in the south-eastern province of Fujian from 1985 until 2002 – and included revelations about the Chinese leader after he married his current wife Peng Liyuan in 1987.

Amnesty said it was common for Chinese authorities to put pressure on those close to the detainees.