Updated at 9:52am on Monday Sep. 1 to include additional quotes and sources.
While Hongkongers slept soundly, at least four PLA tanks rolled silently through the city. Witnesses, who couldn’t be blamed if they wet themselves, saw armored personnel carriers with short guns mounted on turrets traveling on regular roads in Tin Shui Wai, Yau Ma Tei, and Jordan early Thursday morning, reports Apple Daily. Yikes!
Here’s a video:
Occupy Central posted this tweet:
10 PLA tanks enter #HongKong under cover of darkness https://t.co/WN31nwaeiN pic.twitter.com/CBdPO1lT3i
— Occupy Central 和平佔中 (@OCLPHK) August 14, 2014
Security Secretary Lai Tung-kwok told the AFP he had “no knowledge” of PLA movements but said that “since there are PLA stations in Hong Kong, the movement of the vehicles is a common phenomenon”, according to Yahoo News.
Pro-democracy LegCo member Claudia Mo said to the AFP that “it’s a show of military might to scare off Hong Kong people who are about to stage some large-scale civil disobedience activity. The timing is very suspicious”, according to the Straits Times.
Many Hongkongers expresed their concern in online comments on Apple Daily’s article: “Oh no, its really going to be a copy of June 4th,” wrote Teresa Leung. “If they use force to suppress Occupy Central, the result would be unimaginable,” said another user, Tina Ho.
This isn’t the first time it’s happened. On June 15, 2012, a dozen PLA tanks also moved through the city:
In the Western Harbour Tunnel (via BadCanto）
The Secretary for Security at the time, Ambrose Lee, said that the PLA was carrying out a “routine reshuffle” at their Hong Kong garrison, according to RTHK. Lee said that suggestions that the tanks were requested by the Hong Kong police ahead of the annual July 1 protest were “nonsense”. Andy Tsang, the Police Commissioner (to this day), also said such claims were groundless.
Rita Fan, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, said it would be “impossible” for the PLA to help maintain social order in Hong Kong.
Photo: Occupy Central with Love and Peace via Twitter
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