Many observers have said the booksellers were coerced into making the confessions. One more bookseller remains in police custody.
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A statement issued by the Ningbo Public Security Bureau said Lam had broken his bail terms by failing to return to the mainland for further investigation after an initial eight months in detention, Hong Kong’s Ming Pao newspaper reported.
The booksellers were accused of shipping gossipy books about China’s political elite to customers in mainland China, where they are banned.
In addition to (illegally) heaping up near the shores of Suzhou’s Lake Tai, a sickening amount of trash has also recently washed up on the beaches of Hong Kong.
Aware that any such move will trigger a volley of criticism and a storm of protests among locals, the Hong Kong government has assured that it won’t send back the bookseller. If threatened, he can call “999”, the general Hong Kong emergency number, they said.
Hong Kong and China have taken a step towards improving their relations by agreeing to inform each other within 14 days if they detain the other’s residents for criminal investigation.
People in Hong Kong appeared unimpressed with the speeches.
Hong Kong official in China were shown a video in which Lam was nicely treated in detention, and cooperated while being fed, getting a haircut, and having his blood pressure checked.
A media commentator who asked to remain anonymous said the Chinese authorities had “blatantly trampled” their own promises of “one country, two systems” on which Hong Kong’s handover from British colonial rule was based.
Lam and four other associates from Causeway Bay Books, a Hong Kong bookstore that offered titles critical of China and its leaders, disappeared previous year.
“There is no legal arrangement for the transfer of persons to the Mainland authorities. I used to enjoy freedom from fear in Hong Kong, but now it’s lost”.
In the past, Hong Kong was the mainland’s financial gateway to the world.
The dangers do not end with booksellers. He also reportedly promised to return to China after posting bail. But, she added, “Although China has spent quite a lot of money in propaganda work, it does not mean consumers have to receive it without critical thinking”.
Authorities have failed to convince Beijing to respect Hong Kong’s legal system and the city’s way of doing business. Shirley Yam, vice chairman of the association, said online journalists “should be able to operate at par with traditional media, which is increasingly being controlled by Beijing”. By participating in the mainland’s economic growth it can alleviate transitional pains and move to greater equity.
The 61-year-old is part of a group of staff from a Hong Kong firm that published salacious titles about leading Chinese politicians. During the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, USA economy was nearly 10 times bigger than China’s. The poll consisted of interviews with 1,006 Hong Kong residents and took place from June 20 to 23.
Analyst Johnny Lau said the review provides a “gradual improvement” to the system, but it fails to address the bigger question of whether Chinese agents were operating in Hong Kong.
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“When people stress “two systems, ‘ they often neglect the “one country” aspect of the premise”, said Liu”.
