Lam Wing-kee Still In Fear Of Beijing's Shadow

Causeway Bay bookseller Lam Wing-kee, who fled to Taiwan over fears that he would be extradited to the mainland over the extradition bill, says he might have to go into exile somewhere else should Beijing's "agent" indirectly govern the island.

In an interview with RTHK in Taipei, Lam also said his visa to stay in Taiwan has recently been extended to October 25 and he's preparing to open a bookstore in the city.

Lam was reportedly abducted by Chinese agents when he was crossing the border to Shenzhen in 2015 for selling books banned on the mainland. He was allowed to returned to Hong Kong on bail next year, but refused to return and revealed his ordeal in a sensational media briefing.

When asked if he has plans to return to Hong Kong now that the contentious extradition bill has been shelved, Lam said he won't as he’s enjoying his life on the island, including the cheap and delicious food.

But he did point out that if a pro-Beijing politician wins the island’s presidential election next year, he may well have to leave again and seek refuge somewhere else.

On the latest developments in Hong Kong, Lam said the root cause of recent clashes between police and protesters was because the government had not addressed young people's political and housing demands.

Beijing, he stressed, also has a major role to play.

"It's caused by how Beijing has been governing Hong Kong since the 1997 handover. The source is the Chinese government. Is Beijing going to relax its governance on Hongkongers? We don't see any signs of improvement”, Lam said.