Chinese soldiers stationed in Hong Kong are not there for symbolic purposes and will have “no reason to sit on their hands” if violence in the city worsens, the China Daily newspaper says.
China on Thursday completed what it called a routine rotation of the air, land and maritime forces stationed in Hong Kong, which has been rocked since June by a wave of sometimes violent demonstrations.
State-run media released pictures of armed personnel carriers and trucks carrying troops into Hong Kong before dawn on Thursday.
“Notwithstanding its routine nature, the move touched the nerve of some people in Hong Kong, who have jumped to the conclusion that it is associated with the current dissension in the city,” the newspaper said in an editorial in Friday.
A detachment of People’s Liberation Army soldiers has been stationed in Hong Kong since the 1997 handover that ended British rule. They stage frequent drills but are seldom seen outside their bases.
Analysts estimate China has 8000-10,000 troops split between Hong Kong and bases in southern China.
The possibility of their deployment to quell the protests has hung over Hong Kong. The city’s government, which ultimately answers to Beijing, has repeatedly said it can handle the situation.
“While the SAR government has so far not felt the need to call on the garrison, that does not mean it will not do so should the situation demand it,” the editorial in the government-run English-language China Daily said.
“If the already ugly situation worsens, with the violence and unrest threatening to spiral out of control under the orchestration of secessionist-minded troublemakers, the armed forces stationed in the SAR will have no reason to sit on their hands.
“The PLA garrison in Hong Kong is not merely a symbol of Chinese sovereignty over the city.”
Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, states that the former colony can request the garrison’s assistance to maintain public order but “they shall not interfere in local affairs”.
The editorial came as two prominent democracy activists were detained in the former colony within hours of each other, and protesters geared up for another weekend of mass demonstrations.
Activist Joshua Wong was arrested while walking to a subway station about 7.30am on Friday morning, according to a statement from his political organisation Demosisto.
The group said Mr Wong was “forcefully pushed into a private minivan on the street” and taken to police headquarters in Wan Chai.
BREAKING: Our secretary-general @joshuawongcf was just arrested this morning at roughly 7:30, when he was walking to the South Horizons MTR station. He was forcefully pushed into a private minivan on the street in broad daylight. Our lawyers following the case now.
— Demosistō 香港眾志 (@demosisto) August 30, 2019
Mr Wong’s arrest came just weeks after he was released from prison. He had been jailed for his leading role in democracy protests in 2014.
Mr Wong has not been prominent in Hong Kong’s summer of protests, which has been largely leaderless and organised via social media. But he remains an important figurehead in the democracy movement.
Earlier, the leader of the banned pro-independence Hong Kong National Party, Andy Chan, said he was detained on Thursday night while trying to board a flight to Japan.
The Hong Kong Free Press reports that Mr Chan said in a Facebook message that his detention was requested by police. A police spokesperson told HKFP that Mr Chan was arrested on suspicion of rioting and assaulting a police officer.
Unrest in Hong Kong escalated in mid-June over a now-suspended extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to mainland China for trial in Communist Party-controlled courts.
It has since evolved into calls for greater democracy under the “one country, two systems” formula, which guarantees freedoms not enjoyed on the mainland, including an independent judiciary.
-with AAP
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