Chinese army personnel have helped to clear debris made by protesters at Hong Kong Baptist University in Kowloon Tong.
The cleanup operation from 1pm on Saturday saw crowds shift bricks and barricades which had accumulated on Junction Road over the past week.
According to District Councillor Ho Hin-ming, who helped to organise the effort, the group began to clear Renfield Road at around 4pm when, half an hour later, at least 50 personnel from the People’s Liberation Army emerged from the nearby barrack with buckets to shift the remaining items. They were accompanied by a cameraman who filmed the exercise.
PLA personnel clear debris by Hong Kong Baptist University in Kowloon Tong. Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
A man who appeared to be the commander but declined to reveal his identity said the action was not requested by anyone. “Stopping violence and riots are the responsibility of each person,” he told reporters.
Some of the crowd cheered as the soldiers cleared the bricks. Three women on the scene said they were not asked to join the cleanup effort but did so voluntarily. They added they were not residents in the district.
When asked by HKFP if they saw any call for action on messaging apps such as Whatsapp beforehand, they did not respond.
PLA personnel clear debris by Hong Kong Baptist University in Kowloon Tong. Photo: Kris Cheng/HKFP.
Last year, 600 people from the local PLA garrison, the Chinese foreign ministry in Hong Kong, the China Liaison Office and state-owned enterprises helped clear fallen trees from the MacLehose Trail, after Typhoon Mangkhut swept the city. The group included 400 soldiers in uniforms.
It was the first such action by the Hong Kong garrison since the 1997 Handover. Article 9 of the law stipulates that the garrison shall not interfere in the local affairs of Hong Kong, whilst Article 11 states that the garrison shall notify the local government in advance of any military activities, such as training exercises and manoeuvres if the public interest is affected.
But at the time, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung has said that the public should not over-interpret the incident, as the soldiers were volunteering and the Hong Kong government did not request their help.
More to follow.
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