Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying has urged mainland authorities to assist Hong Kong police in investigating missing bookseller case as soon as possible.
“I have expressed the concerns of the Hong Kong government and society to the related authorities,” Leung said, in response to theories that Lee Bo was in the mainland after he disappeared.
Lee Bo, 65, went missing from Hong Kong on December 30. He was last seen at the Mighty Current publisher’s warehouse in Chai Wan.
In a fax allegedly written by him and received by his wife last week, Lee said that he had travelled to China voluntarily and that “everything is fine.” On Saturday, a second letter and a video reportedly from Lee, urged the public not to make a “big fuss” out of his disappearance.
Under a reciprocal mechanism, law enforcement agencies in the mainland must notify the Hong Kong police within 14 days if any Hong Kong resident is detained across the border. Lee’s wife filed a missing person report on January 1.
Leung said the time for the mainland authorities to reply to Hong Kong for such kind of cases has varied in the past.
“There has been other cases where replies from the mainland authorities were received later than 11 days,” Leung said.
He added that he hoped everyone would provide any information they have in order to assist the police investigation.
Four other members of staff from the store, which specialises in political gossip titles banned in the mainland, remain missing since October last year. They include Gui Minhai, a Swedish national who disappeared in Thailand, Lui Bo, Cheung Ji-ping and Lam Wing-kei who disappeared in Shenzhen.
