TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Lam Wing-kee (林榮基), the Hong Kong bookstore owner who became a prominent critic of Beijing’s cross-border enforcement practices, has died, prompting condolences from President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).
A source told CNA that Lam was in poor health and experienced a recurrence of cancer last year. The source said Lam was admitted to Taipei Mackay Memorial Hospital on Tuesday and was conscious at the time.
He fell into a coma on Wednesday, and his condition deteriorated further, CNA reported. He was pronounced dead at 7:01 p.m. on Thursday.
Lai said on Facebook that Taiwan would continue to defend democracy, freedom, and human rights and stand with those who refuse to submit to authoritarianism, per Liberty Times. Lam’s death was also confirmed by local media reports citing his family and associates.
Lam co-founded Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay Books and later relocated to Taiwan after his release from detention in China, reopening the store as a symbol of free expression, according to Liberty Times. He had been detained in Shenzhen in 2015 after disappearing from Hong Kong, one of several staff members linked to the bookstore case.
The 2015 incident involving Causeway Bay Books drew international condemnation after five individuals connected to the bookstore were reported missing and later confirmed to be in Chinese custody, Liberty Times reported. The case fueled concerns in Western capitals about extraterritorial enforcement by Chinese authorities.
In a 2017 interview with Liberty Times, Lam warned that similar forms of cross-border detention could one day extend to Taiwan, not necessarily through direct Chinese action but through local intermediaries. He said the risk was rooted in shared political narratives and influence rather than geography.
In 2019, Lam relaunched his bookstore in Taiwan, continuing to promote culture and reading, and it became an important gathering place for Hong Kong people in Taiwan, per TVBS. Culture Minister Li Yuan (李遠) said he visited Lam in April this year to discuss plans to connect independent bookstores and expressed deep sorrow over his death.
