Hong Kong government to follow up on Lee Po’s disappearance despite bookseller asking police to drop case, says chief executive
After meeting HK lawmakers, visiting British MPs say they recognise ‘concerns’ over missing booksellers
The Hong Kong government will continue to follow up on the mysterious disappearance of Lee Po, said the city’s top official, despite the missing bookseller asking the local police to drop his case after an unexpected reunion with his wife in a secret location on the mainland over the weekend.
This was the first time chief executive Leung Chun-ying spoke on the case after the Saturday meeting between Lee, formerly reported as Lee Bo, and his wife Sophie Choi Ka-ping, when the bookseller told the latter he was “assisting in an investigation in the capacity of a witness” across the border.
Lee, who said he was “free and safe”, also called on the Hong Kong police to drop his case. Lee is one of five associates from Causeway Bay Books, a store selling political books banned on the mainland, who have gone missing since October.
READ MORE: Wife of ‘missing’ Hong Kong bookseller Lee Po reunited with husband in ‘secret’ meeting in mainland China
Speaking ahead of the weekly executive council meeting on Tuesday morning, Leung noted the meeting between the couple but said that the city’s government would continue its follow-up work.
“The police force is following up on the case and has written yet another letter to the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department requesting a meeting with Lee,” he said.
“There have been cases – of different natures – in which we requested assistance from mainland authorities, and the time we waited for a reply was even longer than for Lee’s case.”
The unexpected meeting on Saturday sparked another controversy as mainland authorities were accused of sidelining the city’s government, which was allegedly kept in the dark until Lee’s wife made a report to the police hours after their reunion.