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]

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Lam.
Lam wearing a blue cap in 2017
Lam Wing-kee
Traditional Chinese林榮基
Simplified Chinese林荣基

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
  1. "The Bookseller's Decision". China Change. 31 December 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  2. "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.
  3. "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.
  4. "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.
  5. "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.
  6. "HK bookseller who defied China opens Taiwan shop". BBC. 25 April 2020.
  7. "HK bookseller who defied China raises $100,000". BBC. 6 September 2019.
  8. Huang Li-yun; Lo Lin; Evelyn Kao (22 April 2020). "Three arrested for attack on Hong Kong bookseller - Focus Taiwan". focustaiwan.tw.


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