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Son of sanctioned Hong Kong chief executive hurriedly left US in late July

Joshua Lam abandoned Boston apartment without notice due to 'family emergency'

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Joshua Lam (left), Carrie Lam 

Joshua Lam (left), Carrie Lam  (CNA photo)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The son of Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥), Joshua Lam (林約希), suddenly went missing from his apartment in Boston, Massachusetts, late last month, with his roommate later confirming he had returned to Hong Kong due to a "family emergency."

A Ph.D. student at Harvard's Mathematics Department, Lam's sudden departure has sparked public intrigue. His mother has been sanctioned by the U.S. government for undermining Hong Kong's autonomy and its citizens' freedom of expression; according to legislation passed late last year, Hong Kong officials implicated in human rights violations and their family members are to be barred from entering the U.S.

According to a FactWire report, Lam's roommate contacted their landlord on July 25 after Lam had gone missing for several days. Attempting to reach Lam by phone, the landlord got an auto-response from his mobile carrier Verizon saying the call "cannot be completed because there are restrictions on this line."

Two days later, after Lam's roommate told her Lam had returned to Hong Kong because of a "family emergency," the landlord sent an e-mail to Lam. She wanted to confirm whether or not he would continue renting the unit, as he had not signed the renewal contract before the deadline.

Lam responded that day saying, "I will rent the entire apartment for the year Sept 1st, 2020 to August 31st, 2021. Please send me the lease to sign."

However, the landlord told FactWire that, as of Aug. 7, Lam had still not signed the lease, and she had not received any further e-mails from him. She had, however, received August's rent, and his personal items are still in the unit.

Amid speculation, a dating app may have provided a clue as to the location of the 26-year-old Harvard student.

On July 30, a user of the online dating app Bumble in Hong Kong's Mong Kok found Lam's verified account, showing he was within 81 kilometers. If that distance is accurate, it could mean Lam is staying in Hong Kong, or he could be as far as Macao, Shenzen, or Zhuhai, Apple Daily reported.