SOLDIERS COULD BE SENT TO HONG KONG, CHINA SAYS.
SEEN AS WARNING
China on Wednesday publicly addressed the possibility of deploying the army to contain the unrest in Hong Kong for the first time, suggesting that soldiers could be sent in at the request of officials in the territory.
The Chinese defence ministry said it was closely following the developments in the former British colony and pointed out that the government of Hong Kong had the legal right to call in the military to maintain social order.
Asked how the ministry would handle the situation in Hong Kong, a spokesman said only that “Article 14 of the garrison law has clear stipulations.”
Although he did not explicitly offer to send in the military, the comments mark a change in tone in recent days following violence blamed on triad gangs in Hong Kong at the weekend. Beijing has until now suggested that Hong Kong authorities can deal with the unrest themselves, and has refrained from mentioning the deployment of soldiers.
Article 14 of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, states: “Military forces stationed by the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for defence shall not interfere in the local affairs of the region.” It goes on: “The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region may, when necessary, ask the Central People’s Government for assistance from the garrison in the maintenance of public order and in disaster relief.”
The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison has been stationed in Hong Kong since Britain returned sovereignty to China in 1997. The troop is responsible for defence duties in Hong Kong and safeguarding national sovereignty.
Hong Kong government documents have estimated the number of troops is between 8,000 to 10,000 personnel. Beijing has been monitoring the situation in Hong Kong from a distance and remained hands-off during last month’s mass demonstrations.
Beijing’s response has turned tougher this week after the protesters besieged the central government office in Hong Kong, which is a symbol of Beijing’s sovereignty over the city.
Chinese media aired images of a defaced national emblem Tuesday, and state newspapers ran editorials condemning the vandalism.
Dr. Willy Lam, China expert at the Centre for China Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the change in tone was a warning to protesters.
He added: “Politically, if the PLA soldiers are deployed to Hong Kong, that will mean the end of the ‘one country, two systems’ framework to govern Hong Kong.”