Books ‘must pass review’ before return to library shelves

Books flagged as potential risks can return to public library shelves if they pass government checks to make sure they do not include content that violates the Beijing-imposed national security law, the city’s culture minister has said.

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung yesterday said it was usual for the authorities to take titles out of circulation after concerns were raised before any conclusions were drawn about their contents.

“We are currently reviewing the content of public library books based on suggestions from the Audit [Commission’s] report. It is also a common practice to remove books first once we receive complaints or when we discover the books are illegal or threaten national security,” he told reporters at the Legislative Council Complex.

“The purpose of this is to ensure people cannot borrow these books and be affected by them.”

The government’s criteria for library books include a stipulation that they must not breach legislation, including the national security law. They should also not conflict with the moral standards and mainstream values of society and not promote violent or lewd conduct, the minister said.

“Once we find that the book’s contents are in line with the standards, we will put them back on the shelves for public circulation. But if the contents do not meet standards, we will keep the book off the shelves for good,” he added.

Yeung did not specify a timeline for the process, but said the authorities aimed to complete reviews “as soon as possible”.

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which runs the city’s 71 public libraries, earlier this month stepped up efforts to root out publications contrary to national security as demanded by government auditors.

Works by the controversial artist Zunzi, whose two daily political cartoon columns were pulled by a major city newspaper on May 14, were among the first group of titles to be removed from library shelves. The Post and other media also found that books no longer available included those related to the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the city’s political system, and titles on other subjects by opposition figures.

The authorities have said they would not release a full list of the removed titles on national security grounds.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has defended the controversial move several times.

He said library books in circulation had to “serve the interest” of society without breaching the law, and noted that the affected publications were still available from private bookshops.