Mike Lam King-nam (; born 5 October 1988) is a
Hong Kong businessman who founded the retail chain AbouThai. Previously known for a
pro-democracy background, Lam was arrested for subversion in the case of
Hong Kong 47, and testified for the prosecution against fellow defendants.
Business career
In February 2015, Lam, then a
customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
officer, spoke against the government's "multiple-entry" Individual Visit Endorsements that permits Shenzhen residents to enter Hong Kong easier during a protest. He was then doxed by government radical supporters of government, subsequently sacked. Lam then rented a small unit in Kowloon City and started his Thai groceries business with his wife, which would then known as AbouThai (, or in short), meaning "About Thai".
Because of Lam's pro-democracy stance, AbuThai was considered to be a part of
yellow economic circle
The yellow economic circle, also known as the yellow economy, is a system of classifying businesses in Hong Kong based on their support or opposition to the 2019–2020 protests in the city. Proponents of the yellow economic circle frequent ...
, a loose business coalition that was backed by opposition protestors, especially after the
2019 large scale protest. The chain was targeted by law enforcement officers, criticised by supporters to be biased.
Following the outbreak of COVID-19 and the spread to Hong Kong in January 2020, AbouThai imported medical masks from Thailand reserved for hospital staff and officers for border control, winning support from the medical workers but accused by pro-Beijing camp of bribery. Amidst the worsening pandemic and widespread anxiety fighting for masks, AbuThai sold masks at a low price which attracted long queues.
In 23 August 2023, Lam sold his retail chain to the
Central Group
Central Group consists of a variety of diverse investments in various corporations in Thailand and abroad, including investments in retail, property development, brand management, hospitality, and food and beverage sectors, and in digital lifes ...
of Thailand, and its merchandise was substituted by
Big C ever since.
Political career
In March 2020, Lam announced his intention to run in
2020 legislative election for the
Import and Export constituency,
but in June decided to run in
New Territories East constituency instead, and joined the
pro-democracy primaries despite late sign-up.
After losing in the primaries, Lam decided to run in Import and Export constituency instead.
Hong Kong 47
On 6 January 2021, Mike Lam was arrested by the national security police for subversion over his participation in the primaries. He was formally charged in late February along with others and was one of the four released on court bail after prosecution dropped appeal.
Lam did not appear much in public after the release, but wrote on social media in August 2022 after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the city, and quoted Xi to implement "
One country, two systems
"One country, two systems" is a constitutional principle of the People's Republic of China (PRC) describing the governance of the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
The constitutional principle was formulated in the early ...
" and "Patriots administering Hong Kong" principles, while avoiding Hong Kong independence sentiments. He further wrote in January 2023 that Hong Kong is a city with rule of law, along with a picture with
Financial Secretary Paul Chan.
Lam pleaded guilty to the charge in January 2023, and was later revealed to be testifying for the prosecution. The decision has angered some of the remanded democrats which called for boycotting AbouThai, while some in the yellow economic circle decided to cut ties. Five people, including two minors, were arrested after allegedly harassing customers and demanding to meet Mike Lam after news of his decision to be prosecution witness emerged. Lam declared in March that his grocery chain has severed ties with the yellow economic circle, describing the movement as "wrong" while echoing the authorities.
Personal life
Lam married his Thai wife Bowie Kanokwon in 2015. The couple has two daughters, Cantonese names of which are homophones of "freedom" and "conscience".
References
{{Hong Kong 47
Hong Kong businesspeople
2019–2020 Hong Kong protests
1988 births
Living people