Lam Wing-kee, a former Hong Kong bookseller known for his defiance against Beijing’s restrictions on free speech, has passed away in Taiwan. According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, Lam, aged 70, died after a cancer recurrence. He was admitted to MacKay Memorial Hospital in Taipei and fell into a coma before his death.
Lam, previously associated with Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong, relocated to Taipei in 2019 due to fears of prosecution and revived the bookstore in the city in 2020. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te expressed his condolences via Facebook, highlighting Lam’s courageous stand for freedom and democracy.
Lam was one of five individuals linked to Causeway Books who disappeared in 2015. The store was noted for its publications on Chinese leaders and their scandals. Among the five, Gui Minhai vanished from Thailand and was sentenced in China for allegedly leaking intelligence abroad.
Lam publicly disputed China’s version of events in 2016, describing his abduction by Chinese authorities, blindfolded transport, and forced confessions on television.
Due to health concerns, Lam temporarily shut the Taipei bookstore in June. Meanwhile, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have increasingly tightened controls since the 2019 protests, exemplified by arrests under national security laws for selling seditious materials.
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