A Hong Kong bookseller who in 2019 relocated to Taipei after being prosecuted by Chinese authorities recently applied for permanent residency in Taiwan, a government source said on Monday last week.
The move came after Lam Wing-kei (林榮基), a former manager of Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books, initially did not accept the “humanitarian aid” political asylum offered by the government.
In 2015, Lam, another shareholder of Causeway Bay Books and three staff members were reported missing and later confirmed to be detained by mainland Chinese authorities, which accused them of selling books about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that are prohibited in mainland China.
Photo: Johnson Lai, AP
Lam was imprisoned for nearly eight months, and the CCP asked him to disclose the bookstore’s customers and their orders in exchange for his release. Lam in June 2016 returned to Hong Kong, with his criminal record showing a conviction in China for “illegal operation of book sales.”
When widespread protests over a proposed extradition bill to mainland China rocked the territory in 2019, Lam on April 25 fled to Taiwan, saying that he feared being prosecuted again by mainland authorities.
With the support of a crowdfunding campaign, Lam in April 2020 reopened Causeway Bay Books in Taipei.
An unnamed official in Taipei last week said that the central government had helped Lam apply for permanent residency.
In addition to helping other Taiwan-based Hong Kongers, Lam has been working hard to run his bookstore in Taipei, conveying his principles and ideas to Taiwanese one book at a time, the official said.
While often speaking out about his experiences in China, Lam helps Taiwan protect its freedom and democracy, they said.
Lam, as a “modest gentleman,” initially refused to accept the offer of political asylum and has since 2019 been staying in the nation on a temporary residence permit, they added.
Lam had applied with the Ministry of Culture for permanent residency as a “special professional” in the field of culture, the official said.
If the ministry approves his application, it would forward the case to the National Immigration Agency, which would issue a permanent residency card, the official said.
Government data show that 11,173 Hong Kongers hold residence permits in Taiwan, including 1,685 who were granted permanent residency last year, an annual record.
In the first seven months of this year, 4,143 Hong Kongers received temporary residence permits and 892 received permanent residency, the data show.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS