Garrison chief says army was alert to risks during Sars
The People's Liberation Army in Hong Kong made 'serious preparations' to act during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak and exchanged intelligence with the city's police on the violence-hit World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in 2005, the garrison's commander disclosed yesterday.
At a news conference marking the 10th anniversary of the garrison's presence in Hong Kong, Lieutenant-General Wang Jitang cited the two incidents as examples of how the garrison had been ready to protect the city's stability since the handover.
Asked if there had been any plans to deploy troops during tense moments, including the mass street protests of July 2003 and former chief executive Tung Chee-hwa's sudden resignation in March 2005, General Wang did not give a direct answer.
'Whenever anything happens in Hong Kong, we always keep a close eye on it,' was all he would say.
'During the Sars outbreak, we made serious preparation [for deploying troops],' he said. 'During the World Trade Organisation's ministerial meeting we also exchanged information and communicated with the Hong Kong police on the situation.'
Violence erupted near the Convention and Exhibition Centre during the meeting on December 17, 2005, leaving 175 people injured - 64 of them police officers.