Just Saying | Is Hong Kong heading for a Tiananmen-style crackdown? Probably not, even if some seem to be itching for it
Yonden Lhatoo sees plenty of provocation, but does not expect the PLA to march out of their barracks even if there’s worse unrest to come following the Mong Kok riot
Since the Mong Kok riot, I’ve been asked by several overseas journalists whether Hong Kong is heading for a Tiananmen-style crackdown.
I remember quickly dismissing the same question every time it popped up during the Occupy protests in 2014. There was no dearth of opinion and analysis pieces in the foreign press raising the possibility of Beijing taking such drastic action, but my confidence in both the Hong Kong and central governments to handle the crisis without bloodshed turned out to be well placed.
Whether it was a matter of clinical cynicism or patient wisdom, the government’s strategy to wait 79 days for the majority of the population to grow fed up with the road blockades in the name of democracy proved effective. In the end, I daresay, there was a collective sigh of relief when the last of the occupiers were driven off the streets without a fight.
Fast forward to the present day, and my answer is still “no way” People’s Liberation Army troops will march out of their Hong Kong barracks to quell the unrest, even if the Mong Kok riot is a precursor of worse to come, as some have openly warned.