The accusations made by Lam Wing Kee, one of the five booksellers who disappeared in Mainland China between October and December 2015 were denied by Lee Bo, one of the other booksellers who also disappeared. In question is the alleged disregard of Basic law by Chinese authorities. However, the concern generated by the case has not abated and in Macau there are also those who have their doubts.
The five targeted booksellers worked for the same Hong Kong publisher, Mighty Current, known for publishing books that are banned in Mainland China on the private lives of Chinese leaders and political intrigue at the pinnacle of power. The booksellers were also all connected to Causeway Bay Books bookstore.
"We are talking about an episode that happened with the ease that we saw in Hong Kong, so I believe that it can happen in Macau. In fact, some people are already saying that if it happens in Hong Kong today, tomorrow it will take place in Macau and a year from now will it happen in Taiwan," political scientist Larry So told MACAU CLOSER.
However, the former professor of the Macau Polytechnic Institute stressed that MSAR publishers and booksellers do not seem to export the controversial works to Mainland China, unlike their peers in Hong Kong: "We are now at a stage where both parties are accused of lying. But I believe that a large part of the population of Hong Kong believes that Lam is telling the truth. People believe that Lee Bo denied the claims because of problems with the Chinese authorities. They think he is trying to cover something up and protect someone."
At a press conference held last month, Lam Wing Kee confirmed he had been detained in the Mainland, without the opportunity to contact a lawyer or talk with family. Lam confessed that he was detained for eight months after being intercepted in Shenzhen by a special unit of the Chinese police. The alleged charge was for sending Hong Kong books to the Mainland by post.
Agnes Lam, academic and president of Civic Energy Association, considers it legitimate for a person who breaks the Mainland rules to be investigated and detained by the authorities across the border. However, she argues that the rules need to be very clear and that the authorities have to quickly inform the Macau and Hong Kong authorities, as well as their families, "In China there is the understanding that freedom of press is not as extensive as ours in Macau and Hong Kong. Previously we knew there were books with which we could not enter Mainland China, but sending books by post is not clear. This has to be clearly written for people to know how to act."
Despite all this, there is another problem that arises, a person can act legally under the laws of Macau, but be violating the laws of China: "People acting legally in Macau and Hong Kong need to be very well informed on whether they will encounter problems in Mainland China when crossing the border. This has to be very clear," according to the academic.
Jason Chao, pro-democratic activist and vice president of the New Macau Association, believes that this case will inescapably restrict people's freedom: "There is now a danger that the Chinese authorities will follow the example of this case and there is a de facto application of Mainland laws in Macau and Hong Kong. Even for acts that are not carried out in Mainland China, the Central Government can arrest the persons concerned when they pass the border," he said.
"It will be more dangerous for Hong Kong and Macau residents to travel or live in Mainland China because as soon as they cross the border, they will not be protected by the Basic Law. In the long run residents will lose their capacity to exercise the rights that are enshrined in the Basic Law," the activist argues.
– PROTEST ON THE STREETS OF HONG KONG –
Thousands of people took to the streets in the neighbouring region to demand clarification from the Government and to express support for Lam Wing-kee.
The bookseller led a march attended by several pro-Democratic deputies. The march connected the shopping district of Causeway Bay, where the bookshop targeted by Mainland authorities is located, to the Joint Liaison Office. The event organisers estimated the number of participants at 6000, while the police indicated a maximum of 1800 people during the busiest period of the protest.
Protesters have accused Beijing of violating the principle of 'one country, two systems’ with the alleged application of the laws of China in Hong Kong, and by Beijing’s sanctioning of the presence of Chinese security agents in the former British colony.
"The bookstore is located in Hong Kong, a place where freedom of speech and publishing is protected. And the country [China] is using violence to destroy that, because it gradually wants to repress the freedom of Hong Kong residents. Do not let it end here," Lam Wing-kee said during the demonstration, quoted by South China Morning Post.
Three booksellers targeted by the authorities – Lam Wing-kee, Cheung Chi-ping and Lui Por – disappeared when they found themselves on the Mainland. They all reappeared weeks later, under the auspices of the Chinese authorities, and appeared on state television to confess their crimes, which family, friends and human rights associations suspect were made under duress. Lam Wing-kee admitted last month that the Chinese authorities orchestrated his confession.
Gui Minhai – a citizen with a Swedish passport – was the first of five booksellers to disappear during a visit to Thailand, and is the only one still detained. Lee Bo disappeared in December departing from the territory of Hong Kong, without any record that the bookseller had crossed the border with China.
Lam Wing-kee and Lee Bo gave contradictory statements last month. Lam Wing-kee said Lee Bo was taken to China by the Chinese authorities against his will. Lee Bo maintains that he went to the Mainland "by his own means", without providing further details.
Lam Wing-kee revealed that he had suicidal thoughts during the months he was detained on the Mainland. He assures that he has no intentions to resort to such drastic measures now that he’s back in the former British colony, but he does not dismiss the possibility of being killed.
The bookseller said he continues to be closely watched by agents at the behest of the Mainland authorities. Lam Wing-kee said that he has not been approached by anyone since speaking to the press, but said he has been contacted by agents, even after destroying the mobile phone that was given to him by the Chinese authorities.
The bookseller revealed that the agents who kidnapped him demanded the delivery of a hard drive with publisher Mighty Current’s customer names, as well as those of Causeway Bay Books bookstore.
It is recalled that both Hong Kong and Macau are governed under the principle of "one country, two systems". According to the Sino-British Declaration of 1984, the return of Hong Kong to China is made in exchange for a "high autonomy" until 2047, while the territory can enjoy freedoms unknown within China.
* With South China Morning Post