AFP, BEIJINGChina yesterday issued a stark reminder that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could be deployed in Hong Kong if the authorities requested support in maintaining “public order” after weeks of sometimes violent protests. Hong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history after millions of demonstrators took to the streets — and sporadic violent confrontations between police and pockets of hardcore protesters. Beijing has labeled the protests as “extreme illegal violence,” but has left it to the territory’s semi-autonomous government to deal with the situation. Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Colonel Wu Qian (吳謙) said at a news conference in Beijing that the ministry has been “paying close attention” to the situation in Hong Kong. “This is absolutely intolerable.”The Hong Kong Government on Tuesday dismissed online “rumors” that the PLA had been deployed to guard key administrative offices linked to Beijing — including the vandalized liaison’s office.

Source: Taipei Times July 24, 2019 15:56 UTC