Hong Kong authorities move to control airport protesters as citizens fear martial law
The US is “deeply concerned” about new satellite images revealing Chinese paramilitary movement on the Hong Kong border, as Beijing accused America of being behind the “terrorist” protests.
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China has hit back at the US, claiming Washington politicians of being the “black hand” behind the Hong Kong protests.
China’s Hong Kong Liaison office said overnight that anti-government protesters were no different to “terrorists”.
The Office of the Commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong said in a statement that “certain members of the US congress confuse right and wrong, confound black and white, and incite violence and crimes”.
“They use their words and actions to prove that they are the black hand behind extreme and violent individuals,” the statement said
The US said that it was concerned about satellite photos revealing movements of Chinese forces on the border with Hong Kong and urged Beijing to honour the territory’s autonomy as pro-democracy protests continued.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of Chinese paramilitary movement along the Hong Kong border,” a State Department spokesperson said in a statement to AFP.
“The United States strongly urges Beijing to adhere to its commitments in the Sino-British Joint Declaration to allow Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy.”
US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed the recent violence in Hong Kong and warned “the world is watching”.
“The people of Hong Kong are bravely standing up to the Chinese Communist Party as Beijing tries to encroach on their autonomy and freedom. Any violent crackdown would be completely unacceptable,” he said.
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House Leader Nancy Pelosi said it was “alarming” to watch China “intensify their use of force against the protesters and label them violent criminals”.
“The people of Hong Kong are trying to preserve the promise of One Country — Two Systems. If we don’t speak out for human rights in China because of commercial interests, we lose all moral authority to speak out elsewhere,” she said.
Two US naval ships due to visit Hong Kong have been denied scheduled access to the city’s ports by China, the US Pacific Fleet confirmed.
A US Navy spokesman said two vessels had been blocked from entering the port, hours after US President Donald Trump said China was moving its troops towards the border.
SATELLITE IMAGES SHOW MILITARY MOVE
It came as satellite photos show what appear to be armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles belonging to the China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police parked in a sports complex 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.
The pictures collected on Monday by Maxar’s WorldView show 500 or more vehicles sitting on and around the soccer stadium at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre just across the harbour from the Asian financial hub.
Chinese state media have said only that the Shenzhen exercises had been planned before hand and were not directly related to the unrest in Hong Kong, although they came shortly after the central government in Beijing said the protests were beginning to show the “sprouts of terrorism.”
POLICE FIRE TEAR GAS AGAIN
Hong Kong police have fired tear gas at a group of pro-democracy protesters rallying outside a police station in a crowded urban neighbourhood.
The protesters had gathered to burn “hell money” and incense as a way to show their opposition to the police during the month-long Hungry Ghost Festival, when offerings are made to ward off spirits of ancestors.
Police armed with riot shields and batons marched down streets in the blue-collar Sham Shui Po neighbourhood.
Officers carried warning flags and fired tear gas as they advanced, but protesters had already scrambled away.
Last week, the district was the scene of a protest against police after they arrested a university student leader for buying laser pointers, which police said were being used as a weapon against them.
AIRPORT ISSUED APPROVAL TO OPERATE
Authorities at Hong Kong airport have taken the unprecedented step of securing a court issued injunction to keep the busy air hub operational as protesters vow to continue to lock passengers out of their flights.
Operations at the international terminal resumed on Wednesday after five days of disruptions at one of the world’s busiest airports, including two days where a shutdown was ordered prompting the cancellation of more than 250 flights including half a dozen to and from Australia.
The action was taken after the at times frenzied pro-democracy protesters yesterday vowed to continue their protest as China again slammed their actions as “terrorist-like” acts.
Those acts included the beating and tying up of two men at the airport the mob accused of being Beijing spies.
One was a State-backed journalist and the other a traveller from mainland China.
Forward Keys, a flight data company, said the crisis had deterred people from making travel plans to the city, citing a 4.7 per cent fall in long-haul bookings to Hong Kong between June 16 and August 9 compared with the same period last year.
Under the interim injunction, it is prohibited “inciting, aiding, and/or abetting” any unlawful and wilful obstruction of proper use of the airport, or blocking roads or passageways. Protesters are now restricted to two small zones.
The political crisis, now in its 10th-week, shows no signs of abating as protesters continue to call on the Hong Kong Government to ensure their freedoms are not eroded by reforms imposed by mainland China.
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The use of the terrorist term heightens fears Beijing will use it as justification to send in security forces.
Local Australian-Hong Kong residents told News Corp Australia the mood was one of fear that the territory was now only days away from some form of martial law and their way of life would no longer be the same.
“There is panic and we believe martial law is the next step,” one Melbourne-born Chinese man who asked not to be named said.
“China will do something but maybe not before their business leaders move their assets out, they enjoy the benefits of Hong Kong too.”
Hong Kong has enjoyed special privileges as a semi-autonomous state since 1997 after the hand over to Chinese rule of the former British colony.
Xu Luying, spokeswoman at the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs of the State Council, called the two men “mainland China compatriots” and their airport attackers as thugs.
“We express the strongest condemnation of these terrorist-like actions,” she said, adding the actions were hurting the territory’s reputation internationally.
“We resolutely support the Hong Kong police force and judiciary … to decisively enforce … and bring the criminals to justice as soon as possible.”
The crisis in Hong Kong began on June 9, when an estimated one million people marched against the local government’s agreement on controversial extraditions laws which would allow mainland China to demand criminals and suspects be sent to them.
At the time, Chinese state media described the action as a “public procession”. Sustained marches over many days saw the proposed law suspended but not revoked there seeing the protests — at time involving frenzied mobs — go into its 10th week. Beijing media have since been describing it as terrorism, involved known criminals and backed by interference from the United States and CIA agents and other “serpents”.
Dozens of protesters have been arrested and charged and many more hospitalised in wards next to were injured police were also being treated.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump said yesterday intelligence pointed to the Chinese government moving troops to the border and urged “calm”.
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has a garrison in Hong Kong but has remained in barracks but the PLA has issued a video showing “anti-riot” exercises and convoys of Armoured Personnel Vehicles amassing on the border and its top brass have warned violence is “absolutely impermissible”.
Originally published as Hong Kong authorities move to control airport protesters as citizens fear martial law
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