Univited Help Arrives

PLA soldiers removing bricks from the road in Kowloon Tong today

This afternoon some residents who live around Pok Fu Lam Road and the University of Hong Kong began clearing the road that had been blocked for the past few days. There were some scuffles with protesters, but for the most part the volunteer clean-up crew were left alone.

Another clean-effort was underway around the Baptist University campus, but Hong Kong residents had some help from an unexpected group -- the People's Liberation Army.

A fellow soldier (right) filmed the soldiers cleaning up

From video clips it looks like several dozen soldiers from the PLA came out of their Kowloon Tong barracks around 4pm dressed in khaki T-shirts and black shorts, or in what look like colourful basketball singlets. Armed with bamboo brooms and red buckets, the soldiers started clearing broken bricks that were strewn all over Renfrew Road that the protesters had left behind.

The last time the soldiers came out was after the devastation of super typhoon Manghkut last October, when they helped to remove felled trees from Hong Kong's country parks. Their help wasn't requested that time either and today they just showed up unannounced.

Oh and yes they had a film crew document their good deed of the day.

According to Article 14 in the Basic Law:

The Central People's Government shall be responsible for the defence of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 
 
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region shall be responsible for the maintenance of public order in the Region. 

Last year the PLA helped clean up the country parks

 
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. 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. 
 
In addition to abiding by national laws, members of the garrison shall abide by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. 
 
Expenditure for the garrison shall be borne by the Central People's Government.

In this case the PLA is cleaning up roads... a spokesman for the garrison said the police force did not ask them to volunteer. "Stopping violence is everyone's duty," a man giving commands to the soldiers said to reporters.

But in the Basic Law, what the PLA were doing was illegal

Later when pressed by the media, the Hong Kong government replied: "The Hong Kong Garrison’s assistance... is purely a voluntary community activity initiated by themselves. The HKSAR Government has not requested the Garrison’s assistance.” 

Which means the PLA voluntary cleaning-up exercise this afternoon was illegal. 





What is this? It's a test, a trial balloon to see what the public's reaction is to the soldiers, not in uniform, but "volunteering" their time and effort in helping Hong Kong get back on its feet. Some people who watched the PLA soldiers clapped in approval, while the pan-democrats are ringing the alarm bells over this.

Security veteran and Democratic Party lawmaker James To Kun-sun believed the move by the PLA was not ordered by the chairman of the Central Military Commission.

"This time, it doesn't look like voluntary service," he said, referring to the soldiers' previous participation in tree planting. "It's more like assisting the maintenance of public order."

A lot of obstacles that need to be cleaned up in Hong Kong

He said if the operation was not based on the Garrison Law, then the soldiers should not come out to clear bricks. "It could be dangerous," To added, referring to potential clashes between them and the protesters.

"They may say PLA soldiers have been attacked... then they can use heavy weapons. This is the most worrying thing."

But the protesters did not confront the soldiers... hopefully knowing there was no point in trying to even fight them.

But having the PLA come out unannounced is rather concerning, especially since protesters are fighting to prevent further interference from Beijing...