Expert: China troops can 'assist' in HKG if needed

(15 Aug 2019) A senior Chinese expert on Thursday said that military troops stationed in Hong Kong can "provide assistance" if the situation in the special administrative region gets out of hand.

"In terms of specific provisions, there are two criteria. First, there is such situation in which the turmoil has endangered the national security. Second, such a situation has gone beyond the control of the Hong Kong Special Administration government," said Han Dayuan, a law professor at Renmin University of China and a member of Hong Kong Basic Law Committee of China's parliament.

Han told reporters in Beijing that according to the Hong Kong Garrison Law, the government of the special administrative region can ask for China's central government to send the garrison to assist maintaining the public order if necessary, and the military personnel can be motivated with the approval from Beijing.

Chinese official media showed armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles belong to the China's paramilitary People's Armed Police being moved to the border of Hong Kong in the city of Shenzhen, in what some have interpreted as a threat from Beijing to use increased force against pro-democracy protesters across the border in Hong Kong.

But Han indicated that Beijing will be cautious before resorting to the military option.

"We have a set of strict legal procedure if such situation appears," he said, "so we stress the coming back to the rule of law."

Protests that began in early June have paralysed parts of the territory, including its international airport, and led to hundreds of arrests.

Flights have mostly resumed after being halted by mass demonstrations and spasms of violence on Monday and Tuesday.

Police made five arrests Tuesday night and 17 more on Wednesday during clashes outside police stations in the Sham Shui Po district.



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