Taipei: Lam Wing-kee, 70, owner of Taipei's Causeway Bay Books, announced on Tuesday that the bookstore will temporarily close due to his health issues, with no clear timeline for when it will reopen.
According to Focus Taiwan, Lam expressed uncertainty about the future of the bookstore, stating that its reopening depends on his health condition. Lam did not disclose specific details regarding his health problems.
Causeway Bay Books originally opened in Hong Kong but became embroiled in controversy in 2015 when several staff members, including Lam, were detained in mainland China. The detentions were related to allegations that the bookstore sold materials critical of the Chinese Communist Party. This led to the bookstore's closure in 2016 and heightened concerns about Beijing's influence over Hong Kong, which was supposed to retain certain freedoms under the "One Country Two Systems" policy following its 1997 handover from Britain to China.
After relocating to Taiwan in 2019, Lam reopened the bookstore in Taipei's Zhongshan District, later moving it to Zhongzheng District in 2024. At the reopening, Lam emphasized the importance of health and freedom, expressing hope to rebuild his life on "free soil."
Lam has not indicated whether the closure will be permanent, leaving the future of Causeway Bay Books uncertain.