Independent Hong Kong bookstore closes after national security raid

An independent Hong Kong bookstore has shut its doors six weeks after a national security police raid, drawing long queues of customers on its final day following four years in business.

Readers wound down the dim staircase of a Prince Edward tenement building on Sunday afternoon, with some waiting up to 45 minutes to enter the third-floor bookstore, Have a Nice Stay.

The closure followed a mid-July operation by national security officers, who raided the shop alongside nearby Greenfield Bookstore over allegations of acts with seditious intent.

Five people were detained – three women aged 30 to 59 and two men aged 37 and 57 – including staff and co-founder Sum Wan-wah of Have a Nice Stay. They were later released on bail.

After remaining closed for six weeks, the bookshop reopened from Wednesday until Sunday to clear its remaining stock and bid farewell to readers.

Inside the cramped third-floor shop, customers browsed shelves of books on journalism, Hong Kong history and current affairs, while staff prepared to bring down the curtain on the four-year-old business at 9pm. Only cash was accepted.