Hong Kong indie bookshop founder, 3 staff members granted bail after national security arrests

The founder and three staff members of Hong Kong independent bookshop Book Punch have been released on bail after they were arrested by national security police over allegedly selling “seditious books.”

A sign reads “Closed for one day due to an unexpected incident. Apologies for the inconvenience,” at Book Punch in Sham Shui Po on Tuesday, March 24, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Book Punch said on Facebook on Thursday afternoon that Pong Yat-ming, the store’s manager, and two part-time staff members were granted bail on Wednesday night.

They were arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of selling seditious titles at their Sham Shui Po bookstore, including a biography of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai, local media reported.

They were suspected of allegedly “knowingly selling a publication that has a seditious intention,” an offence under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, known locally as Article 23.

In the Thursday post, Book Punch wrote that it would need to close for some time as they had to purchase new mobile phones and computers after the arrests.

Hong Kong independent bookseller Pong Yat-ming appears in the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on January 8, 2026, to plead not guilty to charges alleging that he ran an “unregistered school” at his Book Punch bookstore in Sham Shui Po. Photo: Hans Tse/HKFP.

“Scheduled activities will be delayed and rearranged. Looking forward to seeing you all again,” the Chinese post read.

In response to HKFP, Pong confirmed he and his staff have been released on bail. He said he could not say anything about the case.

The offence of selling seditious materials carries a maximum penalty of seven years behind bars – 10 years if the offender is found to have colluded with an external force.

According to local media, among the books seized by police during a raid on Tuesday was The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong’s Greatest Dissident, and China’s Most Feared Critic. The title is written by Mark Clifford, a former director of Lai’s Next Digital media conglomerate and an ex-editor-in-chief of the South China Morning Post.

In an emailed reply to HKFP’s enquiry on Tuesday, a police spokesperson said the force “will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law.”

The Hong Kong Police Force emblem. Photo: Candice Chau/HKFP.

Human rights NGO Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas questioned in a Facebook post on Wednesday if Lai had become a “sensitive word” in Hong Kong.

“Jimmy Lai is an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience. Defending freedom of expression is not a crime; release all #PrisonersOfConscience immediately!” the post reads.

Lai, 78, the founder of the defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was jailed for 20 years in February following his conviction on foreign collusion and sedition charges.

Pong founded Book Punch in 2020. The bookshop, and Pong, were charged last year on suspicion of running “an unregistered school” related to a Spanish language course it was offering.

Both Pong and the store pleaded not guilty to the charges in January. During the trial earlier this month, Pong testified that the former education chief had said years ago that no registration was required for holding interest classes.