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Two days before the presidential election, it is the outgoing president, the independentist Tsai Ing-wen, who leaves the favorite. Which does not completely reassure Lam Wing-kee, the famous Hong Kong bookseller who had taken refuge in Taiwan last spring. RFI met him.
With our special Taipei envoy, Stéphane Lagarde
Tenth floor of a building in the Zhongshan shopping district in Taipei, Lam Wing-kee , 64, takes off his cap before entering what will be his future “kaishi dachi” bookstore. It is the tradition, the black characters on a red background on the front door come to wish the prosperity of a new business, even if it will be necessary to wait before the rebirth of the Causeway Bay bookstore.
“ I will try to stay in the spirit of my former Hong Kong bookseller by offering a wide variety of books. But it also depends on what will come out of the polls on Saturday. Among the two candidates running for president in Taiwan, one of them is close to China. If he is elected, I'm not sure I will stay, ”says Lam Wing-kee.
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For the moment, only chalk marks on the parquet indicate the location of future shelves. 10,000 pounds must enter, with a shoehorn if necessary, in this sixty m² apartment.
The opening of the new space is planned for after the Lunar New Year. Around the same time, or last year, Lam Wing-kee decided to leave Hong Kong for fear of being arrested again by Chinese police .
" My goal is to create a place of exchange, especially for people who come from Hong Kong," adds the bookseller . I think China will eventually get Hong Kong anyway. It is good that young Hong Kong people are defending their rights, but the most important thing is that they are preserving their lives. And if they come to find refuge here, we will welcome them. "
A welcome also promised by the current Taiwanese president, candidate for his succession.
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