HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s top security official stepped before reporters Thursday to defend a sweeping police crackdown on independent bookstores, saying sellers bear the responsibility of making sure the materials they offer do not pose a threat to national security.
The statement came one day after authorities arrested five individuals connected to two separate bookshops, the third wave of arrests targeting independent booksellers within a four-month span. The move has drawn sharp criticism from those who say the boundary between legal and illegal content remains frustratingly vague.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang pushed back on those concerns, insisting the law is straightforward. Speaking at the legislative building, he compared book selling to food safety.
“If you are a bookseller, you have the responsibility to make sure the books you sell won’t endanger national security,” Tang said. “It’s equal to, for example, when you are selling food, you need to ensure the food won’t cause a stomach ache and is not either poison or illegal.”
When asked whether authorities planned to publish a list of prohibited books, Tang rejected the idea, saying such a list would hinder effective law enforcement against titles that “intend to harm the country.”
“We will not let criminals off the hook like this,” he added.
Wednesday’s police raids targeted Have A Nice Stay, a bookshop founded by a group of former journalists, and the long-established Greenfield Book Store. Authorities said the five people taken into custody were suspected of displaying and selling seditious materials. A police statement claimed the content in question was designed to stir up hatred toward the city’s government, court system, and law enforcement.
Have A Nice Stay had already announced plans to close its doors on August 30. In a social media post, the shop cited financial pressures and what it described as an elusive red line as contributing factors. The store said it is unable to review every book it carries and does not have the means to determine which titles might be considered “problematic.”
This latest action follows two earlier rounds of similar arrests. In March, police detained the owner and staff of the independent Book Punch store, reportedly on suspicion of selling seditious publications. Among the items flagged was a biography of former pro-democracy media figure Jimmy Lai, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a national security case. Then in June, two booksellers were arrested on suspicion of selling seditious publications and receiving money from foreign political organizations.
