Hong Kong PLA garrison troops chase fugitives in drill as national security law is passed
- Ground, navy and air force personnel take part in exercise testing their ability to intercept people trying to flee by boat
- It was staged the same day Beijing’s top legislative body passed controversial legislation for the city
Troops from the Hong Kong garrison of the People’s Liberation Army tested their ability to intercept fugitives trying to flee by boat in a drill in the city on Tuesday.
Special troops, air defence soldiers, warships and aircraft carried out maritime and island searches to “comprehensively test the Hong Kong garrison’s defence capabilities”, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
“We aimed to track down the fugitive in the first attempt and intercept the suspect,” one of the PLA soldiers told the broadcaster.
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Hong Kong PLA garrison releases fugitive apprehension drill video
Nearly two minutes of footage aired in the report showed military personnel stopping and searching a vessel, using helicopters to locate fugitives after they left their boat and fled to an island, and apprehending them.
There was also a search and rescue operation, and a joint air and sea patrol was conducted in Victoria Harbour after the drill, the footage showed.