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.
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