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Matthew Cheng

Hong Kong’s security chief has warned that booksellers are responsible for ensuring their titles do not violate national security legislation, a day after police raided two independent stores and arrested five people on suspicion of sedition.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung also reiterated on Thursday that the government would not compile a list of “banned books”, arguing that doing so would allow offenders to bypass the law by simply changing a title.
Tang’s comments came after police searched Have a Nice Stay bookshop in Prince Edward and Greenfield Book Store in Mong Kok on Wednesday.
Officers seized books and arrested five people for allegedly displaying and selling seditious publications.
The arrests followed a referral from the Customs and Excise Department, which had intercepted an overseas shipment of books deemed seditious, according to police.
“If you are a bookseller, you have a responsibility to ensure that the books you sell do not endanger national security,” Tang said.
“This is similar to a food seller, who must ensure that the food they sell will not make people sick or contain poison.”
He said the law clearly defined seditious acts and that authorities would make arrests and prosecute if there was sufficient evidence.
“We target the content, not the book title itself,” Tang said. “If [we only rely on a list] of book titles, many people would simply change the titles of books that are illegal or endanger national security, and claim they are not on the ‘black list’; therefore, you cannot arrest me.”

Tang also dismissed concerns that authorities were targeting bookstores, saying police would enforce the law whenever seditious items were found, regardless of location.
A source previously said that books written by the late opposition lawmaker Shiu Ka-chun and former Democratic Party chairwoman Emily Lau Wai-hing’s memoir Stay, published last year, were suspected of promoting anti-government sentiment.
Under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, the maximum punishment for committing an act with seditious intent is seven years in prison.
Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te took to Facebook on Thursday to express concern over the raids, saying they could curtail freedoms and limit the space for public discussion.
“We express our concern and respect to all bookstores and cultural workers who have remained in their positions despite the difficulties they face,” he wrote. “We also hope that the diverse voices and basic rights in Hong Kong will be respected and protected.”
Reporters Without Borders said it was appalled by the search of the bookshops and the arrests, calling for the immediate release of those apprehended.
Hong Kong’s independent bookstores have come under mounting pressure in recent weeks.
Leticia Wong Man-huen and her husband, the owners of Hunter’s Bookstore in Sham Shui Po, were arrested on suspicion of sedition and money laundering last month. Both have been released on bail.
Two other independent bookstores – Elmbook and Luck Win Bookstore – were disqualified from taking part in the annual Hong Kong Book Fair, despite having participated in the past.
Elmbook, which opened in 1997, announced last week that it would close its physical store next April.


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Booksellers must ensure titles don’t violate national security laws: Chris Tang

Hong Kong police search independent bookstore Have a Nice Stay on Wednesday. Photo: Handout

Secretary for Security Chris Tang has also dismissed concerns that authorities are targeting bookstores. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong police arrest 5 over national security after raiding 2 bookstores

Have a Nice Stay had announced on Tuesday that would cease operations on August 30. Photo: Handout

Leticia Wong at Hunter’s Bookstore in June. Photo: Natalie Wong

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Have a Nice Stay operates from a fourth-floor tenement property in Prince Edward. Photo: Jelly Tse

Have a Nice Stay has also functioned as a venue for workshops and sessions with authors. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Security minister compares stores selling seditious books to vendors offering contaminated or poisonous food


Security minister compares stores selling seditious books to vendors offering contaminated or poisonous food.


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Booksellers must ensure titles don’t violate national security laws: Chris Tang

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Security minister compares stores selling seditious books to vendors offering contaminated or poisonous food

Security minister compares stores selling seditious books to vendors offering contaminated or poisonous food