Update | Q&A: Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee speaks out
Tired but defiant, the Causeway Bay Books associate faced a barrage of questions from journalists at the Legislative Council on Thursday
Highlights from Lam Wing-kee’s press briefing on Thursday regarding his abduction and detention on the mainland.
Q: Mr Lam, you said you had to give [the authorities] a list of readers [who bought books] for them to let you come back to Hong Kong. Did you promise them? How were you going to do that and was there a deadline of when?
A: [The Chinese officials] originally were to come down [to Hong Kong] yesterday (June 15) because they had to pick up the computer. I heard that there was a Mr Chan helping them in Hong Kong. Who this Mr Chan is, I don’t know. [Chan] was to pick it up, give it to Lee Po … So I picked up the computer from Lee yesterday at the hotel. But I think they got the wrong one. In the evening I had a look at it and found that they really picked up the wrong [computer]. So I told the two people taking care of me, that they needed to go pick up the computer I had used from Causeway Bay Books. This morning, I went up to grab the computer I had used, where there were records of the people who ordered books, from the mainland and elsewhere too.
Q: There were reports that you acquired sexual services [while in the mainland] (referring to a media report by Hong Kong media outlet HK01).
A: I’ll see what kind of evidence they bring out. I myself did not do so. But when I was in Shaoguan, late at night, 1am, two ‘ladies’ visited me. I have no people, no friends in Shaoguan. So at 1am when they knocked on my door, I opened out of curiosity. One was tall, one was short…I understand that for them, they were just trying to making a living. So I immediately told them: “You guys must’ve made a mistake. Maybe it’s someone next door?” But apparently neither of them could speak Cantonese. One of them said they didn’t understand what I was saying, and slid her foot between the door to prevent me from closing it. I was very surprised as well – these girls were so bold. So I told them again that they’d made a mistake, and then I closed the door. This whole episode was very strange … I suddenly remember this remarkable event. Whether it’s related, I can’t be sure.
Q: Did the Hong Kong government give you any protection at all?
