Hong Kong politicians urge mainland Chinese authorities to ‘stop keeping everyone in dark’ about missing Causeway Bay booksellers

Mainland Chinese authorities have been urged to stop keeping every one in the dark and spell out everything they know about the five missing booksellers, as critics said the information the Guangdong public security department provided to Hong Kong police on Monday was not easing people’s worries.

The angry remarks came after the Guangdong authorities told the city’s force in a letter it was “understood” Lee Bo was “on the mainland”.

READ MORE: China finally confirms it has detained Hong Kong bookseller Lee Bo after his Swedish associate is paraded on state television

Also enclosed in the reply was a letter from Lee addressed to the Hong Kong government. The content of that letter was similar to the one received by his wife Sophie Choi on Monday – the third letter sent back to Hong Kong since he disappeared on December 30 – in which the bookseller said “things are going well” on the mainland.

No other information – such as Lee’s exact whereabouts, why was he in mainland China, whether he was being detained and how he entered the mainland when there was no record of him leaving the Hong Kong – was provided.

READ MORE: Timeline: Hong Kong’s missing booksellers and what has happened so far

“The way the information is released is like someone squeezing the toothpaste tube. It’s not helping... what we will see in the future is that the five booksellers will be framed a number of crimes,” said Civic Party lawmaker Chan Ka-lok.

“Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying needs to demand the State Council and even President Xi Jinping respond to ease Hong Kong people’s concerns.”