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https://scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/1898370/he-vanished-hong-kong-bookseller-thought-no-harm-would-come Law and Crime
Before he vanished, Hong Kong bookseller thought no harm would come to him if he stayed away from mainland
In an interview in November, bookstore owner Lee Bo said he was not worried about suffering same fate as his four missing colleagues
In this picture taken on January 3, 2016, a protestor holds up a missing person notice for Lee Bo, 65, the latest of five Hong Kong booksellers from the same Mighty Current publishing house to go missing, as they walk towards China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong. Britain confirmed on January 5 that one of five missing Hong Kong booksellers feared detained by Chinese authorities is a UK citizen, saying it was "deeply concerned" over the disappearances. AFP PHOTO / ANTHONY WALLACE
More than a month before he went missing last weekend, Hong Kong bookseller Lee Bo, whose store publishes titles critical of the Communist Party leadership, expressed confidence that no harm would come to him as long as he stayed in the city and did not venture onto the mainland.
He did not think he would face the same fate as four of his colleagues who had vanished without a trace, he told the Post in an interview then.
In a portion of the interview not previously published, Lee said he felt safe staying in Hong Kong.
“I am not worried. I have avoided going to the mainland for many years,” he said.
Lee, 65, co-owns publishing company Mighty Current and Causeway Bay Books, which it runs. The bookstore sells titles covering mainland political gossip and scandals involving officials, which are regarded in the mainland as “banned books” and are a favourite item for mainland visitors.
But it would appear that Lee is now in the same straits as four of his colleagues – Gui Minhai, Cheung Ji-ping, Lui Bo and Lam Wing-kei – who had gone missing separately in October.
Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said regarding the case that the Hong Kong government had sought assistance from the mainland authorities through existing mechanisms.
“We will inform related persons if we receive any updated information,” Lai said on Wednesday afternoon.
The security minister said the administration was very concerned about the incident but declined to give more details about the investigation.
“We should not speculate on the matter … We need to give the mainland authorities some time,” he added.
Meanwhile, more than 200 booksellers, publishers, writers and people from all walks of life have signed a petition pledging to defend Hong Kong’s freedom of publishing, as the city remains rattled by the mysterious disappearances.
In a statement titled “Waiting for dawn in the dark era”, they said that they were deeply angry over the feared kidnapping of the five booksellers.
“We will be fearless in the face of white terror to defend the freedom of publishing, and will remain unwavering under any threats, oppressions and suppression, to let Hong Kong continue to be a safe place, the harbour of freedom,” the petition states.
Lee had said in November that he feared the four had been detained by mainland authorities. He believed their disappearances might be related to the book Gui was preparing to print.
“I suspect all of them were detained. All four went missing at the same time,” he said then. Although Gui had not told him about the title or content of the book, Lee said he believed it touched on sensitive issues.
“I heard people say it is about [President] Xi Jinjing’s romantic history or mistresses. That I really don’t know,” he said.
During November’s interview, a colleague at the bookstore said in an aside that Lee rarely gave media interviews.
At the time, a calm and soft-speaking Lee was only willing to be quoted by his surname, instead of his full name, saying his wife feared that media coverage could lead to retribution from mainland authorities.
“I myself am not worried. But my wife doesn’t want me to speak too much,” he said.
The state-run Global Times said in an editorial on Wednesday that although Causeway Bay Books is located in Hong Kong, its target readers include mainlanders. It is legal under the mainland law for the mainland to look into the bookstore.
The editorial even said while it is a definite “no” for mainland officers to drag Lee Bo out of the city, there are “ways” to get around the law to make the people under investigation cooperate.
Lee was last seen online on mobile instant message client WhatsApp at 5.58pm on December 30. That afternoon was when Lee was last seen in the Chai Wan warehouse of the publishing company.
Calls to his mobile phone were diverted to a voice mailbox, with a synthesised speaker giving Cantonese and English instructions for the caller to leave a message.
Lee’s associate Gui, a mainland-born Swedish national who co-owns Mighty Current and also writes for the publishers has gone missing since he went on holiday in Pattaya, Thailand in October. He was last heard of when he sent an email to printers dated October 15.
Mighty Current general manager Lui, business manager Cheung and bookstore manager Lam went missing after separately visiting Shenzhen between mid- and late October.
Lee said in November that he found Gui had gone missing after printers told Lee that the latter had failed to send them his materials as promised.
“Usually Gui responded to them in two to three days. It is rare nothing was heard from him,” Lee said.