A Hong Kong printer that publishes financial reports for prominent Chinese companies suddenly dropped a book that discusses the 1989 pro-democracy protests at Beijing's Tiananmen Square, in an apparent act of self-censorship, the book's author said yesterday.
The case highlighted concerns about freedom of speech in the former British colony. Although Hong Kong hasn't seen overt crackdowns on the media and free expression, self-censorship is believed to be common.
Hong Kong lawyer Paul Harris said local printer RR Donnelley Roman Financial was on the verge of printing his 433-page book The Right to Demonstrate when it backed out of its contract in the middle of last month.
Colin Wright, the owner of Harris' publisher, Rights Press, said a sales representative at RR Donnelley notified one of his employees on April 16 that the book's content was too sensitive.
"Their perception of the book is that it covered a sensitive subject," Wright said.
A woman who answered the phone at RR Donnelley said no one was available for comment.
Harris described the book as a history of protests covering the Middle Ages to present day. He said it includes several chapters on China, including one on the Tiananmen protests.
Chinese troops crushed the demonstrations, which officials described as a "counterrevolutionary riot," killing at least hundreds.
The book's cover features a famous photo of a lone protester standing in front of a row of tanks deployed to disperse the protests.
Harris, a founding member of the Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor, called the printer's last-minute pullout a clear case of self-censorship.
"This is one of the clearest examples one could possibly find," he said.
"The reason is pretty clear, namely that the supposedly controversial nature of the subject matter of the book was something they didn't want to be associated with, for fear that it might adversely affect their own business interests, in particular clearly in mainland China," Wright said.
RR Donnelley has printed financial reports for China Mobile, the world's largest wireless mobile operator by number of subscribers and Bank of China (Hong Kong).
Harris and Wright were eventually able to find another printer, Cre8, to print 500 copies of the book in time for a scheduled May 2 launch.
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