xiāng gǎng香港jǐng fāng警方sōu chá搜查liǎng jiā两家dú lì独立shū diàn书店，wǔ míng五名yuán gōng员工bèi bǔ被捕
On July 15, Hong Kong police searched two independent bookstores, "Lau Yau Bookstore" and "Tianyuan Bookstore," and arrested five employees: two men and three women.
The police said customs found some books with "seditious intent" in goods sent from abroad. The five people may have violated the National Security Law and are still under investigation.
"Lau Yau Bookstore" announced one day earlier that it would close at the end of August.
The store said that Hong Kong's economy is not good, and they do not know which books they are not allowed to sell, so it is difficult to keep operating.
In the past, independent bookstores in Hong Kong sold history and political books that were harder to buy in mainland China, and they also attracted many tourists.
Human rights groups believe the police action will scare bookstores, writers, and readers, and will also affect freedom of speech.
They hope the Hong Kong government will not punish people for reading, publishing, or sharing different views.