Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers said today that they will press the government for answers after a fifth employee of a publisher specializing in books critical of mainland China’s leadership went missing.
Lawmaker Albert Ho said the city was “shocked and appalled” by the disappearance of Lee Bo. Like the four others who have disappeared in recent months, Lee is associated with publisher Mighty Current.
While there’s been no official confirmation on the status of the five missing people, Ho told reporters that it appears their disappearances are linked to the publisher’s books.
“From the available information surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Lee Bo and his partners earlier, we have strong reason to believe that Mr Lee Bo was probably kidnapped and then smuggled back to the mainland for political investigation,” Ho said.
It’s not uncommon in mainland China for company executives and dissidents to be detained for lengthy periods by the authorities or vanish without anyone claiming responsibility, but the disappearances are unprecedented in Hong Kong and have shocked the city’s publishing industry.
A few dozen protesters marched to Beijing’s Liaison Office today to demand information about Lee, Mighty Current’s chief editor.
Lee, 65, is also one of the company’s major shareholders, the South China Morning Post reported. The company’s co-owner, Gui Minhai, is also among those missing, as are three other staff members.
