Hong Kong bookseller Pong Yat-ming, founder of Book Punch bookstore in Sham Shui Po, and three staff members were arrested for selling a biography of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee‑ying, and other publications, the South China Morning Post reported. They face accusations of selling seditious publications and breaching the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.
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National Security Department officers seized books, including the Jimmy Lai biography The Troublemaker, written by Mark Clifford, a former independent non-executive director of Next Digital, the jailed tycoon's company and parent of the shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, SCMP wrote. Lai is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of three charges, including conspiring to collude with foreign forces and conspiring to publish seditious materials. Officials have also ordered three companies linked to Apple Daily removed from the city's companies registry.
Police did not confirm the arrests, saying only that they "will take actions according to actual circumstances and in accordance with the law," the Associated Press reported. The bookstore did not immediately comment, but remained closed on Wednesday, with a notice outside its door saying: "Taking a day off due to an unexpected situation. Sorry for any inconvenience." On Monday, Hong Kong authorities had "amended the implementation rules to the 2020 security law, signaling efforts to step up its national security crackdown."
In a statement, Jessica Sänger, chair of the International Publishers Association's Freedom to Publish Committee, said: "Publishers need booksellers for their works to reach their readers. Their work is essential for the trinity of freedoms--the freedom of expression, the freedom to publish and the freedom to read--to be secured in practice. We back the EIBF's support for the booksellers at Book Punch whose detention illustrates how Hong Kong's book sector has changed. It is another shocking reminder of our 2018 Prix Voltaire laureate, Gui Minhai, the Swedish / Hong Kong publisher and bookseller who remains in prison for his work promoting the trinity of freedoms."
Fabian Paagman European & International Booksellers Federation, commented: "Booksellers play a vital role in society by making diverse ideas, perspectives, and debates accessible to the public. Their freedom to curate and offer a wide range of literature is essential to fostering a vibrant cultural landscape and an informed, curious society. The arrest of booksellers for simply providing access to knowledge and literature is an unacceptable attack on intellectual freedom. The EIBF stands firmly with all those who defend the right to read, publish, and sell books without fear of repression."
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Sean Toal has stepped down as CEO at TG Jones, with Alex Willson succeeding him in the role, the Bookseller reported. TG Jones is the rebranded name for all 480 of WH Smith's high street stores that were sold to investment company Modella Capital in March 2025.
Under Modella, the business was led by Toal, previously CEO of its high-street business. The company filed the termination of his appointment on March 16. His successor, Willson, is the former CEO of Hobbycraft. Robert Unworth has joined the company as COO.
A spokesperson for TG Jones told the Bookseller: "The economic conditions for all retail businesses are tough. The combination of cost inflation, weak consumer confidence and adverse Government fiscal policies puts significant pressure on all retailers. Against this backdrop, the management of TG Jones is working hard to turn around this important retail business, and they are drawing on the best available advice in doing so. TG Jones' management and Modella Capital are committed to building a sustainable future for this important U.K. business."
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Malaysian bookseller SBC Books & Stationery Sdn Bhd in Johor Bahru, a family-owned bookstore that has operated for 68 years, was destroyed by fire earlier this week. Bernama reported that third-generation owner Kader Mohideen Basheer Ahmed said the incident not only wiped out the family business, but also destroyed memories built over decades.
Noting that the fire razed almost the entire premises and its stock, he added: "This shop is not just a place of business, but where my siblings and I grew up. We used to live upstairs while the bookstore operated below. It has not only affected our business, but also destroyed our memories here.... I have yet to explain the situation to my mother, who is over 80 years old. She has been told it was a small fire, as I do not want to worry her. We accept this incident as a test and will focus on rebuilding, although it will take time."