Stocks Tumble in Asia- Pacific, China; Hong Kong Book Sellers Critical of China Disappear
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.</s>BARNETT: Now, to a baffling case in Hong Kong that is getting even more mysterious. The U.K. and Sweden are monitoring this case of several missing book sellers in Hong Kong after reports that some of them may carry British or Swedish passports.</s>CHURCH: Now, this comes as China's foreign ministry said it has no information about their disappearance. All those missing were involved in publishing books criticizing China and its leaders. CNN's Ivan Watson reports.</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lawmakers in Hong Kong exercised the freedom denied in the rest of China and demonstrate outside the Chinese central government's liaison office in this former British colony, demanding information about at least four Hong Kong book publishers who have gone missing in just the last two months.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What we are worried about is not only the personal safety of Hong Kong citizens, but also such acts could be threats to the freedom of expression and freedom of publication that we are supposed to enjoy, and we have been promised by the basic law.</s>WATSON: This is the entrance to the causeway book shop, closed after one of its owners, a 65-year-old, disappeared last week. The shop specializes in books that criticize the Chinese central government. Lee's wife told local TV said she thinks he was abducted. The Hong Kong police say they're investigating lee's case, as well as the disappearance of three executives of the Mighty Current Publishing house who went missing last November.</s>WATSON: The city's top official denied speculation that police from mainland China may have arrested the book sellers. (on camera): Who do you think could be behind the possible kidnapping?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only the Hong Kong police officers have the authority to enforce the law.</s>WATSON (voice-over): He also pledged to defend freedoms of speech and expression enjoyed in Hong Kong. At the People's Bookstore in Hong Kong, the shop's owner tells me half of the books he sells are banned in mainland China. (on camera): Where are most of your customers from?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can say like 80 percent to 90 percent are from the mainland.</s>WATSON: So what happens? They come to Hong Kong and buy your books and then take them back illegally?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah. They try. They try to hide it in the luggage, handbags or whatever. And then they're smuggling them into China.</s>WATSON: This is the dividing line between Hong Kong and the rest of China, officially, one country with two very different systems. The authorities on that side of the border don't have jurisdiction here in Hong Kong. And that's why the mysterious disappearance of critics of the Chinese central government has triggered such worry on this much freer side of the border. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.</s>BARNETT: All right. Still to come this hour, President Obama ready to bypass Congress. Next, we'll hear from an expert on the legality of his plans for gun control.