HONGKONG people have nothing to fear from a People's Liberation Army garrison as it has been widely recognised the PLA has an important role to play in the territory after 1997.
The troops will guard the territory's border to prevent an influx of illegal immigrants and they will also be the answer to rampant smuggling problems, especially firearms.
Given its historic role in defending the territory and the ''one country two systems'' spirit, it is not surprising the PLA wants to have a head start in preparing itself for this duty.
The PLA will be coming here to defend Hongkong people, not persecute them. A major guarantee can be found in the Basic Law, which states that ''military forces stationed by the Central People's Government in Hongkong for defence shall not interfere in the local affairs of the region''.
The mini-constitution also guards against any abuse by further stating that ''in addition to abiding by national laws, members of the garrison shall abide by the laws of Hongkong''.
On the number of troops to be stationed in Hongkong, I believe this should be discussed further, and a comparison made with the present size of the British forces. The best arrangement would be for the PLA to station the same number of soldiers as the British force.