Taiwan hails late Hong Kong bookseller for ‘resistance’ against China

Taiwan honored the late Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kee at a memorial service on Friday, celebrating his life as one of "struggle, resistance and defiance against the Chinese Communist Party." Lam, who passed away in Taipei on July 2 after a battle with cancer, was remembered for his courage in challenging Beijing's authoritarianism.

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Lam’s life was “a story of struggle, resistance and defiance against the Chinese Communist Party.”

Premier Cho Jung-tai presented a posthumous certificate to Lam's son, stating that while a dictatorship can close a bookshop, it cannot extinguish a soul yearning for freedom. The ceremony, attended by senior Taiwanese officials and over 100 mourners, underscored Lam's significance as a symbol of resistance.

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While a dictatorship can close the doors of (Lam’s) bookshop, it can never lock away his soul that yearns for freedom.

Lam gained international attention after vanishing in late 2015, resurfacing in mainland custody with a televised confession. He later detailed his interrogation by mainland police and fled to Taiwan in 2019, fearing Hong Kong's extradition plans. He reopened his Causeway Bay Books store in Taipei in 2020, becoming a vocal advocate for Taiwan's democratic system.

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Although he was hunched, his defence of freedom stood tall.

Recalling her interactions with Lam, a woman surnamed Lee shared his poignant words: "You have freedom and democracy in Taiwan, and you must cherish them. Our freedom and democracy in Hong Kong are already gone." Lam had recently closed his Taipei bookstore due to his progressing stage-four lung adenocarcinoma, a recurrence of his illness.

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You have freedom and democracy in Taiwan, and you must cherish them. Our freedom and democracy in Hong Kong are already gone.