Hong Kong public libraries pull most books related to Tiananmen Square crackdown as 34th anniversary approaches

Keyword check of library archives by Post in Chinese and English finds no works related to the military crackdown in Beijing 34 years ago

Critics warn that book removals may damage city’s reputation for openness; security chief Chris Tang defends ‘well-established’ library procedures

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Books related to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown have been removed from public library shelves as the 34th anniversary approaches. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 11:13pm, 15 May 2023Updated: 1:08am, 16 May 2023

Hong Kong public libraries have pulled most books and documentaries about the Tiananmen Square crackdown from their shelves just weeks after they were asked by government auditors to step up efforts to root out works “manifestly contrary” to national security, the Post has found.

Critics on Monday said the removal of books would damage the city’s reputation for openness.

Simon Chu Fook-keung, a former acting director of the city government’s archives from 1999 to 2003, said censorship of books was not uncommon in many places, but removal without explanation could have consequences for government credibility.

“If a government cannot even convince its people why certain books – including those apparently non-political – are banned, it might have difficulties in winning trust on other issues,” he warned.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

But security chief Chris Tang Ping-keung said the public library service had well-established policies on book selection.