The title of a book fair joined by about 20 small-size independent bookstores and publishers in the city that was kicked off on Friday last week ( Dec 27) could not be more intriguing. The title in Chinese :「閱讀香港，另類風景」, can be translated as “Reading Hong Kong: Scenery of another kind”.

Aimed at promoting reading and for book lovers, the event being held at the former bookstore Mount Zero at Tai Ping Shan Street in Sheung Wan on Hong Kong Island has caught the attention of another kind. The opening day of the week-long event was marked by the presence of more than 20 police officers.

Some attendees had their identity cards and bags checked by the Police, according to reports by online media outlets.

By the time when this article was finished, Police gave no details of the operation. A Food and Hygiene Department spokesman reportedly said they have conducted inspections of unlawful use of public space, but found nothing illegal.

The book fair is scheduled to end on January 2.

The seemingly disproportionate presence of the Police at the book event has ironically emerged as an odd scenery of another kind in Hong Kong.

Coming amid the festive days straddling 2024 and 2025, the episode is one of the harsh reminders of the chilly winds in the socio-political landscape that have prevailed in the past 12 months. There are plenty of reminders of a similar kind in 2024.

Martin Lee’s lost JP title

Also on Friday, Hong Kong’s best-known democrat Martin Lee Chu-ming, 86, was stripped of his justice of the peace (JP) title. A notice published in the Government Gazette said Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu had revoked the civic honour of Lee. It did not give details.

Under the Justices of the Peace Ordinance, the Chief Executive may revoke a JP appointment if the person has been given a prison sentence – whether suspended or not – after being convicted of an offence in Hong Kong or any other jurisdiction. Lee was convicted for taking part in an unlawful march during the 2019 anti-extradition bill protests. He lost his final appeal in August.

Expectation that the Chief Executive would exercise his discretionary power to keep the JP status of Martin Lee has been zero. Also zero is the substantive impact on Lee for the loss of a civic honour that could be dated back to the colonial era.

But coming on the heels of another offensive by the Police’s national security officers against more than a dozen of Hong Kong trouble-makers overseas, the book fair episode and Martin Lee’s lost JP title have further dampened the mood in some quarters of the city at a time of reflection and forward-looking.

Bounties for six wanted persons

In a related development on Christmas Eve, Hong Kong police issued HK$1 million (US$128,690) bounties for the arrest of the six over allegedly violating the Beijing-imposed national security law, bringing the total number of such activists on the Government’s wanted list to 19. The passports of seven others who had left the city were revoked in a separate notice gazetted, which also barred anyone in Hong Kong from funding them.

Among the six were Chung Kim-wah, a former university social scientist who is now a London-based commentator; Joseph Tay, a 62-year-old former actor and founder of Canada-based NGO Hongkonger Station; Victor Ho Leung-mau, 69, a former veteran journalist based in Canada. The trio are active YouTubers.

The latest batch of wanted persons shows no sign of softening of the crackdown against what the authorities have deemed as subversive activists despite the avowed goal of focusing on the task of leading Hong Kong “from stability to prosperity”.

That the three disturbing incidents happened in the last week of 2024 seems to be coincidental. It is not. They are indicative of the continued hardball tactic by the security authorities towards the dissent in and outside Hong Kong.

Independent bookstores, where some politically sensitive books are still available, have drawn increased attention from a range of government departments in charge of matters ranging from fire services, public hygiene, company registrar and law and order this year.

Lack of hope

Events in the past week capped the politically restless year featuring the sentencing of 45 democrats who were convicted of subverting state power by participating in the 2020 Legislative Council primary election and amendments.

They have added more jitters to the city at a time when it is facing more social and economic woes. They include unimpressive economic growth, runaway fiscal deficits, lackluster governance and enduring downbeat mood among the populace.

Worse, signs of hope for a quick bounce back in the coming year are lacking. Quite the opposite, belt-tightening days are seemingly nearing while bad times in politics are lingering. Whatever 2025 will bring is anybody’s guess.

Wish you all a happy, fruitful, healthy and peaceful 2025!

( Photo : inmediahk )

▌[At Large] About the Author

Chris Yeung is a veteran journalist, a founder and chief writer of the now-disbanded CitizenNews; he now runs a daily news commentary channel on Youtube. He had formerly worked with the South China Morning Post and the Hong Kong Economic Journal.