China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has so far stayed out of the
protests that have gone on for eight consecutive weekends and brought
parts of central Hong Kong to a standstill – leaving the territory’s
police to deal with the unrest.To get more china news english, you can visit shine news official website.
But at a reception to mark the 92nd anniversary of the PLA on Wednesday,
the commander of the Chinese army’s garrison in Hong Kong said the
protests had “seriously threatened the life and safety of Hong Kong
citizens, and violated the bottom line of ‘one country, two systems’.
“This should not be tolerated and we express our strong condemnation,”
Chen Daoxiang said, in comments reported by the South China Morning
Post, a Hong Kong newspaper.The army video, posted to the Chinese social
media site Weibo, shows lines of troops carrying shields and batons
performing anti-riot drills. It showcases tanks, rocket launchers, water
cannon and barbed wire before featuring heavily armed troops descending
from helicopters and shooting their way through the streets and into
people’s homes.
Protesters can also be seen being arrested and walked, with their arms
tied behind their backs, to “detention points”.Observers believe the
video was likely to have been filmed in Hong Kong because the local
Cantonese dialect is spoken, and it features a Hong Kong taxi and a flag
almost identical to one used by Hong Kong police.
The BBC’s Celia Hatton, in Beijing, says earlier posts from the Chinese
garrison in Hong Kong showed patriotic images of smiling soldiers. The
increasingly aggressive posturing featured in the latest video will fuel
concerns that China could eventually use military force to end violent
protests.
But the Chinese government is still refusing to answer such concerns
directly, our correspondent notes. When asked about the video, the
Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing said only that the military would be
able to interpret its message.The government has since suspended the
bill, but protesters want it withdrawn completely.
The demonstrations have also broadened into a wider movement, with
activists demanding democratic reform and an independent inquiry into
police violence.
Violent clashes erupted on Sunday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.
In a rare intervention on Monday, China’s top policy office in Hong Kong
condemned the “horrendous incidents” that have caused “serious damage
to the rule of law”.
