A missing person’s drama continues this week in Hong Kong. It’s a case that involves booksellers, protests, and questions about authorities in Beijing. HPR’s Bill Dorman has details in today’s Asia Minute.
Five Hong Kong booksellers are still missing. Activists fear they’ve been kidnapped by the order of Chinese authorities.
The mystery began in October when 4 employees of the Causeway Bay Bookstore and a small publishing house associated with it went missing, 3 in southern China and one in Thailand.
The publisher, “Mighty Current,” is known for works critical of the Chinese Communist Party and some of its historical figures. Lee Bo is one of the owners of the enterprise. He was the one who reported his colleagues were missing.
Now, it’s been nearly two weeks since he’s been seen in Hong Kong… and the case has gone international. Lee is a British citizen… one of his colleagues is a citizen of Sweden.
The British government says it’s “deeply concerned” about Lee’s whereabouts, while the European Union says the lack of information about all the booksellers is “extremely worrying.” The State Department says it is “disturbed” by news of the disappearances. On Sunday several thousand protestors rallied in Hong Kong, some holding signs asking “Where Are They?”
Beyond the question of kidnapping, the case cuts to the heart of promises made by the Beijing government under the so-called “one country, two systems” structure. China has pledged to allow Hong Kong to be ruled by its own laws until 2047—including freedom of expression.
