Former Hong Kong Bookseller Lam Wing-Kee Dies in Taiwan

Taipei, Taiwan — Lam Wing-kee, known for his defiance against Beijing’s speech restrictions, has died in Taiwan, as reported by the island’s Central News Agency. Lam was 70 years old.

Lacking an official cause of death, the report notes his cancer returned last year. He was admitted to Taipei’s MacKay Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, fell into a coma on Wednesday, and passed away Thursday evening.

Lam previously worked at Causeway Bay Books in Hong Kong. He moved to Taipei in 2019 due to legal concerns and reopened the bookstore in the Taiwanese capital the following year.

Taiwan’s President, Lai Ching-te, expressed his condolences through Facebook. He stated that while Lam’s passing is sad, the courage he displayed remains impactful, highlighting the importance of freedom and the continual effort required to preserve democracy.

In late 2015, Lam and four others from Causeway Bay Books disappeared. The store sold publications claiming to expose Chinese leaders’ secrets and scandals. Among them, publisher Gui Minhai vanished from his Thailand holiday home and later received a 10-year prison sentence in China for allegedly providing intelligence overseas.

Lam’s 2016 account starkly opposed official Chinese narratives. He described being seized in October 2015 after crossing into Shenzhen from Hong Kong. Blindfolded, he endured a 13-hour train journey to Ningbo, where he was detained under constant surveillance for five months.

In a Hong Kong news conference, Lam shared he was coerced into a televised confession. In June, he informed the Central News Agency of the bookstore’s temporary closure in Taipei due to his health, without a clear reopening date.

Since the large-scale 2019 protests, Chinese and Hong Kong authorities have tightened control over the region. Under a new national security law, Hong Kong police arrested two individuals in June, suspecting them of distributing seditious material and working with foreign political groups.