There was cheering in the normally sombre Legislative Council yesterday when Customs officers withdrew a list of PLA vehicles allowed easier crossing of the border.
Deputy Secretary for Security Carrie Yau Tsang Ka-lai assured legislators no guidelines had been issued giving the People's Liberation Army special privileges.
But she admitted a list of 29 PLA vehicles with closed-road permits had been given to border Customs officers 'to avoid misunderstandings'.
The move was sparked by an incident involving the head of the PLA handover advance party, Major-General Zhou Borong, and border Customs officers when the general was asked for a closed-road permit after returning from Shenzhen.
News that a list existed angered members of Legco's security panel.
Frontier legislator Emily Lau Wai-hing claimed it created a privileged group.
'The vehicles should produce the permits themselves. There should only be one rule,' she said.