Political analyst Johnny Lau said Gui Minhai's interview aired by CCTV is full of discrepancies to be true. Photo: RTHK
Johnny Lau talks to RTHK's Maggie Ho
A current affairs commentator has suggested CCTV’s interview with Causeway Bay Books’ operator, Gui Minhai, is a tactic to sidetrack people's attention on the disappearance of booksellers linked to the bookstore.
Johnny Lau said discrepancies in the video and illogical circumstances – such as claims that Gui had smuggled himself into China to surrender – have undermined its credibility.
Gui said in the interview that he felt guilty for running away from a suspended prison term imposed on him over a car accident that killed a student more then a decade ago.
Lau said he believes the Central Government is trying to make up a story to distract people’s concerns about suppression of freedom of expression since the bookstore had been selling titles critical of Beijing leaders.
Lau also said the Hong Kong government is probably confused about what’s going on. But given what he called "China's political culture", the mainland authorities will treat it as if the subordinate SAR government "has no right to ask" .
However, he said that the SAR government can consider appealing directly to the NPC chairman Zhang Dejiang, who also chairs an internal policy coordination group for Hong Kong and Macau affairs.
President of the Legislative Council, Tsang Yok-sing also said the CCTV report doesn't seem to be able to dispel people's suspicion and fears.
“We all know that Mr Gui is only one of the individuals who have disappeared. Most Hong Kong people believe their disappearances are related," Tsang said. "So, before the whole picture comes out, before Hong Kong people are told about what actually happened to all of them, I think people couldn’t stop speculating."
Meanwhile, pro-democracy lawmaker Lee Cheuk-yan said Gui confession showed that the mainland was "trying to hide the fact that they are detaining him for the bookstore".
"The traffic accident has nothing to do with it and there was nothing in the video that says how he ended up in China," he said, describing the broadcast as a "smoke screen".
Gui disappeared from Thailand in October.
After Sunday's confession, local newspaper Headline Daily's website also ran a letter said to be written by Lee Bo in which he said Gui had a "complex history".
"He killed a person in a drink-driving crash and irresponsibly fled overseas," read the letter, "this time he has implicated me," it said, without giving any further detail.
Amnesty International's East Asia director Nicholas Bequelin said the broadcast raised more questions than answers.
"From the legal standpoint the video is worthless," he said. "Where is he? Under what authority is he detained? What are the circumstances under which he gave this interview? We cannot exclude the possibility that he made the statement under duress," he said.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1236626-20160118.htm
