Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kei (林榮基), who has said he was kidnapped in 2015 by Chinese public security, arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday for a book fair, but was allegedly told not to visit the venue until the opening ceremony, where Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) was expected, was over.
Between October and December 2015, five employees or co-owners of Causeway Bay Books (銅鑼灣圖書), including Lam, went missing in Hong Kong. Lam reappeared in July last year and publicly accused Beijing agents of kidnapping him in Shenzhen, China, to intimidate the bookstore which sells books banned on the mainland.
Lam arrived on Tuesday at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport under heavy police protection for a week-long visit.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
He told reporters he came at the invitation of Tonsan Publishing Co (唐山出版社) and the Independent Chinese PEN Center.
However, sources alleged that the Taiwanese government had cut short his intended visit, first from 30 days to 15 days, and then to one week.
Moreover, an unnamed security agent had “kindly” asked Lam not to attend the Taipei International Book Exhibition’s opening ceremony yesterday, for security reasons, because the vice president and Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chun (鄭麗君) were expected, Chinese dissident poet and Independent Chinese PEN Center cofounder Bei Ling (貝嶺) said.
Lam responded by arriving later at the exhibition, Bei said.
Hong Kong publishers have continued to print banned books, but sales have plummeted following the Causeway Bay Book disappearances, Lam said.
Citing the banned book History’s Vanguard: The Chinese Communist Party’s Promises (歷史的先聲—中國共產黨曾經的承諾) as an example, Lam said the thwarting of the publication of this collection of Mao Zedong’s (毛澤東) pro-democracy essays illustrates the state of freedom of speech in Hong Kong.
“This book was published in 1999 and was banned within a year in China. In recent years, several attempts were made to reprint it in Hong Kong. Sino United Publishing (聯合出版集團) did not dare do it and Cosmos Books Ltd (天地圖書) did not dare do it. In the end, the Hong Kong University Press published it. From this we can see what was wrong with Hong Kong’s publishers,” Lam said.
Although Hong Kong remains safe for dissidents, the expected passage of laws against treason, under Article 23 of the Hong Kong Basic Law, is expected to have a tremendous negative effect on freedom of speech in the territory, he said.
Lam denied any interest in seeking political asylum or opening a bookstore in Taiwan.
Bei said he and others invited Lam to Taiwan because he wanted to observe Taiwanese reaction to the developments in Hong Kong, adding that he hoped Taiwanese publishers would continue to enjoy freedom of speech and that he could share what he observed in Taiwan with Hong Kong publishers.
In related news, the National Police Agency was initially wary of potential violence at the airport by pro-unification groups against Lam, following an incident last month against Hong Kong pro-democracy activists Joshua Wong (黃之鋒) and others, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Tuesday.
Although 101 aviation police officers were ready to be deployed at the airport on Tuesday, no protesters appeared and only 43 officers were needed to ensure Lam’s safety, the bureau said.
A police convoy of four vehicles were provided to escort Lam from the airport to his destination.
Additional reporting by Yao Chieh-hsiu
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from