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Hong Kong bookseller missing report withdrawn as letter appears Hong Kong bookseller mystery deepens after letter appears
(about 2 hours later)
The wife of a Hong Kong bookseller who reported him missing to police has withdrawn her request for help. The wife of Hong Kong bookseller Lee Bo who disappeared last week has withdrawn her request for police to help find him, saying he has been in contact.
It comes as a letter - said to be handwritten by Lee Bo - was published by Taiwan's Central News Agency. It comes as a letter said to have been handwritten by Mr Lee was published by Taiwan's Central News Agency.
It says he is "working with the concerned parties in an investigation which may take a while". It says he went to China himself and is "working with the concerned parties".
Mr Lee is the fifth man linked to a shop selling works critical of China's government to be reported missing since October.Mr Lee is the fifth man linked to a shop selling works critical of China's government to be reported missing since October.
Lee Bo, also known as Paul Lee - disappeared last week. Local legislator Albert Ho had said Mr Lee was kidnapped and taken to the mainland.
The disappearance of the men has raised concerns that China is undermining the territory's legal independence.The disappearance of the men has raised concerns that China is undermining the territory's legal independence.
His wife had said last week that he had called her from Shenzhen, just over the border in mainland China, and told her he was helping with an investigation. Local legislator Albert Ho has said Mr Lee - also known as Paul Lee - was kidnapped and taken to the mainland.
She had said his home return permit, which Hong Kong citizens must show to enter China, was still at home - seen by some as evidence he may have been abducted by security agents. Is the letter genuine? The BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong explains
But in the letter dated Sunday, which was said to be faxed to his colleague, Mr Lee says he "returned to mainland my own way". It's another twist in the mystery of the missing bookseller.
Human rights activists who have been advocating for the Lee family say they believe the letter is genuine.
In it, Paul Lee appears to be taking responsibility for leaving Hong Kong. And he implies he will be staying in mainland China for some time.
The activists believe the letter was indeed written by Mr Lee, but under instruction from whoever is holding him.
The intent, they say, is to tame the public outcry that has been sparked by his disappearance.
Mr Lee's wife, Sophie Choi, had said last week that he had called her from Shenzhen, just over the border in mainland China, and told her he was helping with an investigation.
She had said his return permit, which Hong Kong citizens must show to enter China, was still at home - seen by some as evidence he may have been abducted by security agents.
But in the letter dated Sunday, which was said to have been faxed to his colleague, Mr Lee says he "returned to mainland my own way".
He also said: "I am very well. Everything is fine. And please do look after the bookstore."
Book links
Mr Lee was the person who raised the alarm when four of his colleagues at the tiny Causeway Bay Bookstore and related publishing house, Mighty Current, went missing in October.Mr Lee was the person who raised the alarm when four of his colleagues at the tiny Causeway Bay Bookstore and related publishing house, Mighty Current, went missing in October.
One of them, publishing house owner Gui Minhai, was last seen in Thailand. The other three were last seen in mainland China.One of them, publishing house owner Gui Minhai, was last seen in Thailand. The other three were last seen in mainland China.
The BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong says some suspect the men's disappearance is connected to a book the publisher may have been planning about an alleged former mistress of Chinese President Xi Jinping, when he was already married to folk singer Peng Liyuan. The BBC's Juliana Liu in Hong Kong says some suspect the men's disappearance is connected to a book the publisher may have been planning about an alleged former mistress of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
There has been no official comment from the Chinese government on Mr Lee's case.
However, an editorial printed in the Global Times newspaper, a mouthpiece for the Chinese government, on Tuesday, said some were trying to "hype" the incident and turn it into a political issue "to create estrangement between Hong Kong and the mainland".