Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Librarian suspended after Jimmy Lai books put on recommended reading shelf

Librarian suspended after Jimmy Lai books put on recommended reading shelf

Government employee at Shek Tong Tsui Public Library in Sai Wan found responsible for displaying at least 10 titles written by jailed Apple Daily owner.

A Hong Kong public library employee has been suspended after being held responsible for displaying books by jailed Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying as “the librarian’s choice” last week.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department launched a “rigorous and thorough investigation”, after Yeung Hok-ming, a member of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), posted pictures on social media of at least 10 books written by Lai on a rack of recommended reading at the Shek Tong Tsui Public Library in Sai Wan.

The Thursday incident occurred as the 26-year-old tabloid-style newspaper published its final edition after authorities arrested five of its top executives and froze HK$18 million in assets.

After an investigation, the department said in a statement it had decided to suspend an unnamed employee.

People browse the shelves at the Hong Kong Central Library in Causeway Bay.


Yeung Hok-ming, chairman of the DAB’s Central and Western branch, welcomed the prompt action but said the department should provide an explanation to the public.

“I would be surprised if the whole saga involved only a new frontline staff member,” Yeung said. “The bookshelf faces the lending services counter and other employees should have stopped him or her if they saw Lai’s books being put on the rack. But no one seemed to have done anything until after someone complained.

“The department should tell the public how it is going to review the procedure so as not to repeat the mistake again.”

He said he had written to the department and the Home Affairs Bureau asking for an explanation.

According to photos published on Yeung’s Facebook page, most of the Chinese-language books in question were not focused on politics, but concern Lai’s thoughts on business management or his life.

In response to media inquiries last week, the department said any titles believed to breach the national security law would be removed from lending, while the department reviewed them with other related government agencies.

On Thursday, the department said a “thorough investigation” was being conducted, and the initial probe suggested the incident involved one staff member who “has been suspended”.

It said the matter was being taken seriously and the department attached great “importance to staff integrity”. Officials would not confirm the employee’s rank.

Lai faces multiple charges tied to the security legislation, which bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces. He is in jail serving sentences on unrelated convictions tied to his role in unauthorised protests.

In May, at least nine books written by opposition figures and critics of Beijing – including former Democratic Party chairman Albert Ho Chun-yan, and former Civic Party lawmaker Tanya Chan – were removed from public libraries because of concerns over a possible breach of the law.

Days after its enactment in June last year, public libraries also suspended the lending of several titles written by localist activists, including Joshua Wong Chi-fung and Horace Chin Wan-kan.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×