TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books (銅鑼灣書店) founder Lam Wing-kee (林榮基), whose new bookstore is set to open in Taipei on Saturday (April 25), was attacked with red paint on Tuesday morning (April 21).
Lam was assaulted by one man with red paint while having breakfast in Zhongshan District at around 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The paint covered Lam’s head down to his torso, but fortunately, he was not physically injured.
The assailant fled the scene immediately after the attack. The police are now investigating the case, and from the CCTV footage acquired by law enforcement, the suspect is believed to be a young man aged around 30.
The attacker is likely to be pro-Beijing, observed Lam, who has been outspoken in his criticism of China and the Beijing-controlled Hong Kong government since relocating to Taipei last spring. Lam told local media that the attack would not disrupt his plan to open the bookstore, also named Causeway Bay, this Saturday after more than half a year of preparation.
Lam was among the five Causeway Bay Books affiliates who suddenly went missing in Hong Kong, China, and Thailand in late 2015 only to surface again in China and face trial on various charges. However, their disappearances were generally believed to be related to the operation of the bookstore, which was known for selling politically sensitive books banned by the Chinese authorities.
Lam fled from Hong Kong to Taiwan last spring fearing that the passage of the government extradition bill, since withdrawn, would have impacted his life. He started a fundraising project last September to finance his new bookstore in Taipei, which passed the threshold of NT$2.8 million (US$92,300) within 24 hours and has now raised nearly NT$6 million.
Despite having enough financial backing for his bookstore, Lam’s plan to open a new Causeway Bay bookstore, which he has envisioned as a space to promote exchanges between Taiwanese and Hongkongers sharing similar values, did not proceed without any hindrance.
Lam said he received a letter from a law firm on Monday (April 20) notifying him that the name of the bookstore had already been registered by someone else in March, and therefore he could not use it. The lawyer is currently handling the matter, said Lam.
