Advertisement
Advertisement
China’s military
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
A still from the Weibo video shows a PLA military vehicle cruising down the streets of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong garrison of People’s Liberation Army launches land-air-sea exercise testing fugitive-hunting capability

  • Official video posted online shows joint missions involving patrol combinations and emergency deployments for ‘defence duties’
  • Social media post also says local regulations were observed and the Hong Kong government was notified in advance

Troops from the Hong Kong garrison of the People’s Liberation Army have conducted a joint exercise involving ground, air and sea operations to test their capability in tracking down and intercepting fugitives fleeing the city by boat.

The drills included patrol combinations and emergency missions, according to a video posted on the garrison’s official Weibo social media account.

The post stated that special task forces launched sea-land-air exercises involving marine vessels and helicopter searches to “comprehensively test the ability of the Hong Kong garrison in fulfilling defence duties”.

01:35

PLA releases footage of joint air, land and sea exercises in Hong Kong

PLA releases footage of joint air, land and sea exercises in Hong Kong

The 86-second clip showed a fleet of military vehicles departing army barracks and cruising along urban streets and highways. The convoy reached Stonecutters Bridge as two military helicopters also arrived, hovering over the structure.

Armed officers on a speedboat were also seen in the footage giving chase to a “suspicious vessel” and boarding their target for a search, ending in a mock arrest.

Other exercises demonstrated included airlifting injured personnel to a hospital, and helicopter deployment to fight wildfires.

The video of the joint exercises depicted marine vessels chasing down a target.

One officer was quoted in the Weibo report as saying: “The sea passages of Hong Kong are relatively narrow. Helicopters followed the ‘suspicious target’ after spotting it and sent us information on its location. The exercise enhanced our ability to perform various military missions.”

PLA video of Hong Kong garrison live-fire training could be ‘warning to separatists’

The Weibo post, uploaded last Friday, described the entire effort as a joint exercise for the third quarter of 2021 but did not specify where or when it was staged, how long it took, or the number of personnel involved.

Armed soldiers shown in the clip.

It said local regulations on marine, aviation and port management had been observed and the Hong Kong government had also been notified of the exercise in advance.

Article 14 of the Basic Law, the city’s mini-constitution, states that the central government is responsible for the defence of Hong Kong, while local authorities are in charge of maintaining public order.

A military helicopter flies over a container terminal in Hong Kong in the PLA joint exercise.

It also stipulates military forces in the city will not interfere in local affairs, although the Hong Kong government can seek help from the garrison in the maintenance of public order and for disaster relief if needed.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of Beijing’s semi-official think tank the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macau Studies, said the drill showed the central government’s focus on ensuring the city’s stability.

Hong Kong PLA garrison troops chase fugitives in drill as national security law is passed

“The PLA does exercises in Hong Kong regularly and these are to stress its presence here, to show local and overseas opposition forces the central government’s determination in safeguarding national security,” he said.

“It doesn’t indicate any danger that Hong Kong faces, or that the PLA will do the job of police in routine patrols.”

Meanwhile, a separate video posted last Wednesday showed a group of Hong Kong garrison soldiers practising combat skills using bayonet rifles. No details of the occasion were provided, but a scene showing a banner hanging outside a building indicated that the venue was a training facility for elite officers.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: PLA stops fugitives trying to flee by boat in training drill
5