Delegations, notifications and a formal letter: CY Leung’s three-pronged strategy for settling bookseller row
As city’s top official admits detention notification with mainland has ‘room for improvement’, pro-democracy leaders blast him for doing too little, too late
Hong Kong’s leader yesterday promised he would write to Beijing to officially register public concerns about the bookseller controversy, making it a matter of importance on the record for the city and central governments.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying also undertook to improve the notification system between police on both sides, and send delegates across the border to follow up if necessary.
Responding for the first time to returned bookseller Lam Wing-kee’s explosive claims last week about his abduction and eight months of detention on the mainland, Leung tried to reassure a jittery public that his administration would protect Hongkongers.
But he refused to say what he would do if the mainland sought the return of Lam, who said he was nabbed by agents from a central special investigation unit when he crossed the border into Shenzhen in October.
Lam ran afoul of mainland authorities by smuggling books that are banned across the border for their critical and gossip-filled content about China’s leaders, and could still be wanted there.
