Bookseller says Beijing detention deal won’t ease Hongkongers’ ‘worst fears’

Lam Wing-kee recalls 2015 experience when he disappeared from the city and turned up in mainland custody

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Bookseller Lam Wing-kee disappeared from Hong Kong and turned up in mainland China in 2015. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 8:31am, 15 Dec 2017Updated: 9:41am, 15 Dec 2017

Causeway Bay Books founder Lam Wing-kee said Hong Kong and Beijing’s new deal to set up a faster notification system on detentions would not ease city residents’ fears about their personal safety and freedoms.

Lam was one of five Hong Kong booksellers who went missing in late 2015, and eventually turned up in the custody of mainland authorities. All were linked to Mighty Current publishing company, which specialised in political gossip about the Chinese leadership.

Lam also spoke out about Article 23 legislation, which he claimed would threaten Hongkongers’ personal rights. Photo: David Wong

Their disappearance raised concerns locally and internationally about Hong Kong’s reciprocal notification mechanism, under which mainland authorities were supposed to inform the city’s police when they detained a Hong Kong resident. It was unclear whether local police had ever been notified of Lam’s detention.

The bookseller returned to Hong Kong on bail in June last year after eight months in detention and spoke publicly about his experience upon his arrival.

Under the notification mechanism, Hong Kong and Beijing authorities must inform each other within seven working days when someone is being held for possible crimes. Photo: EPA