Lam Wing-kee
Lam Wing-kee (Chinese: 林榮基) is the former owner and current manager of Causeway Bay Books, a Hong Kong bookshop most well known for its provision of politically-related publications. Lam was detained by non-Hong Kong Disciplined Services in October 2015 as part of the disappearances of several bookshop owners; the Central Case Examination Group let him go to Hong Kong in June 2016 to fetch information.[1] When asked whether he can see that the government of Hong Kong has protected them ("見不見到特區政府有保護過你們"), he replied "No".[2]
Lam Wing-kee | |||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 林榮基 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 林荣基 | ||||||||||
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His position/view on Hong Kong independence is ambiguous.[3] In a Canadian interview, he said
"Freedom is not all-powerful, freedom is always relative. You have the freedom of expression of course, but there is also a restriction. For instance, you like to sing at night while the neighbor is sleeping causing disturbance, then has your freedom affected others? ("自由不是萬能,自由永遠是相對。當然你有表達的自由,但都是有規限,譬如夜晚你喜歡唱歌,隔壁人家睡覺,你吵到人家,如此你的自由是否影響到人家呢?"[4]) "
In April 2019 Lam moved to Taiwan in response to the proposed Hong Kong extradition bill.[5] A year later, in the face of physical threats and warnings over his choice of name, he opened a small upstairs bookstore in the commercial district of Taipei.[6] He successfully crowdfunded his operations, raising $100,000 in a single day.[7] On 21 April 2020, days before the reopening of Causeway Bay Books in Taipei, Lam was splashed with red paint and three suspects were arrested the next day.[8]
References
- "The Bookseller's Decision". China Change. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
- "The Pulse:Causeway Bay Bookstore book seller Lam Wing-kee spoke out, discussion with Albert Ho & Wil 3:17". RTHK. 17 June 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2019 – via YouTube.
- "林榮基的秘密:嗰日食完三支煙之後……". 眾新聞. 7 January 2017. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- "週一祥談 EP184: 店長談「法治」與「人權」 – Part2 1:45". LS TIMES TV. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2019 – via YouTube.
- "Bookseller Lam Wing-kee leaves Hong Kong for Taiwan, fearing proposed extradition law will mean he is sent to mainland China". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
- "HK bookseller who defied China opens Taiwan shop". BBC. 25 April 2020.
- "HK bookseller who defied China raises $100,000". BBC. 6 September 2019.
- Huang Li-yun; Lo Lin; Evelyn Kao (22 April 2020). "Three arrested for attack on Hong Kong bookseller - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw.