Tens of Thousands of Militarized Matas 武警 standing by in a Sports Stadium just bordering HK with Hundreds of Armored Riot Trucks - Satellite Photos

[matamafia]

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/e...y-personnel-parade-seen-near-hong-kong-border








Chinese military personnel parade seen near Hong Kong border

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Chinese military personnel gather at the Shenzhen Bay stadium in Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong in China's southern Guangdong province, on Aug 15, 2019.PHOTO: AFP
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1 hour ago
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SHENZHEN, CHINA (AFP) - Thousands of Chinese military personnel waving red flags paraded at a sports stadium in a city across the border from Hong Kong on Thursday (Aug 15), an Agence France-Presse reporter witnessed.
Armoured vehicles were also seen inside the stadium in Shenzhen, with the event taking place as concerns build that China may intervene to end 10 weeks of unrest in Hong Kong.
State-run media reported this week that the elements of the People's Armed Police, which is under the command of the Central Military Commission, were assembling in Shenzhen.

Some of the personnel inside the stadium on Thursday had armed police insignias on their camouflage fatigues, according to the AFP reporter.
The security forces could be seen moving in formation inside the stadium, and occasionally running, while others rode around on motorbikes outside.
Outside the stadium there were also dozens of trucks and armoured personnel carriers.


The People's Daily and Global Times, two of the most powerful state-run media outlets, published videos on Monday of what it said was the assembling of the People's Armed Police in Shenzhen.


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The Global Times editor-in-chief, Mr Hu Xijin, said the military presence in Shenzhen was a sign that China was prepared to intervene in Hong Kong.
"If they do not pull back from the cliff and continue to push the situation further beyond the critical point, the power of the state may come to Hong Kong at any time," Mr Hu wrote.
US President Donald Trump also said on Tuesday that American intelligence had confirmed Chinese troop movements towards the Hong Kong border.

Trucks and armoured personnel carriers are seen outside the Shenzhen Bay stadium in Shenzhen, bordering Hong Kong in China's southern Guangdong province, on Aug 15, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS

"I hope it works out for everybody including China. I hope it works out peacefully, nobody gets hurt, nobody gets killed," Mr Trump said.
Pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous Chinese city, have staged 10 weeks of relentless protests to demand greater rights and liberties.
Hong Kong has been governed under a "one country, two systems" legal framework since its handover to China from Britain in 1997.
Hong Kong allows far greater civil liberties than those on the mainland, but the protesters say those freedoms are eroding as mainland Chinese interference grows.
Related Story
From silence to 'terrorism': Beijing's evolving rhetoric on Hong Kong
Related Story
China is waging a disinformation war against Hong Kong protesters
Related Story
First signs of terrorism emerging in Hong Kong protests: Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office
The protests, which have become increasingly violent and led to Hong Kong's airport being paralysed for two days this week, have become the biggest threat to China's rule since the handover.
The Chinese military has not interfered in Hong Kong since the handover but it can, should it be called on by the city's government to maintain "public order".
The People's Armed Police are in charge of "handling riots, turmoil, seriously violent, criminal activities, terrorist attacks and other societal security incidents", the People's Daily said in text accompanying its video on Monday.
Chinese authorities have on two occasions this week linked violent protests in Hong Kong to "terrorism". They have consistently described protesters as "rioters".
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Satellite photos appear to show Chinese armoured military vehicles near Hong Kong

Chinese state media said that the exercises had been planned beforehand and were not directly related to the unrest in Hong Kong, although they came shortly after the central government in Beijing said the protests were beginning to show the "sprouts of terrorism".PHOTOS: ALEXANDREKRAUSZ/TWITTER
Published
Aug 14, 2019, 5:49 pm SGT
Updated
Aug 15, 2019, 12:41 am

HONG KONG (AP, AFP) - Satellite photos show what appear to be armoured personnel carriers and other vehicles belonging to the China's paramilitary People's Armed Police parked in a sports complex in the city of Shenzhen, in what some have interpreted as a threat from Beijing to use increased force against pro-democracy protesters across the border in Hong Kong.
The pictures collected on Monday by Maxar's WorldView show 500 or more vehicles sitting on and around the soccer stadium at the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center just across the harbour from Asian financial hub that has been rocked by more than two months of near-daily street demonstrations.
Chinese state media have said only that the exercises had been planned before hand and were not directly related to the unrest in Hong Kong, although they came shortly after the central government in Beijing said the protests were beginning to show the "sprouts of terrorism".

President Donald Trump tweeted that US intelligence believes that the Chinese government is moving troops to its border with Hong Kong and that, "Everyone should be calm and safe!"
A US State Department spokesman voiced concerns about the “continued erosion” of Hong Kong’s autonomy and expressed “staunch” support for freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the territory.
“The United States is deeply concerned by reports of Chinese paramilitary movement along the Hong Kong border,” the spokesperson, who would not be named, told Agence France-Presse in a statement.


“The United States strongly urges Beijing to adhere to its commitments in the Sino-British Joint Declaration to allow Hong Kong to exercise a high degree of autonomy.”
The spokesperson said the protests reflect “broad and legitimate concerns” among Hong Kong’s citizenry over the loss of autonomy, which was agreed in the deal between London and Beijing over returning the former British colony to China in 1997.
“We condemn violence and urge all sides to exercise restraint, but remain staunch in our support for freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly in Hong Kong,” the US official said. “We categorically reject the false charge of foreign forces as the black hand behind the protests,” the official added.
Beijing has been apparently reluctant to send in police or army units from the mainland or to mobilise the People's Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong to quell the unrest. It's seen as mindful of the devastating effect that would have both on the territory's reputation as a safe and stable place to invest in, and as indication of the Communist Party's failure to win over the hearts and minds of the city's 7.3 million residents, 22 years after the former British colony was handed over to China.
It would also be a shocking reminder of the PLA's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations centred on Beijing's Tiananmen Square 30 years ago, which remains a taboo subject in China but is memorialised with a massive rally and march each year in Hong Kong.
Yet, mainland China is believed to have already dispatched officers to fortify the ranks of the Hong Kong police, and may also have planted decoys among the protesters in order to encourage more violent acts that could eventually turn ordinary Hong Kongers against the protest movement.

A handout satellite image made available by Maxar Technologies shows military and security vehicles parked in the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center on Aug 12, 2019. PHOTO: MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/EPA-EFE

Such a change in sentiments does not yet appear to have happened despite rising violence surrounding protests and the shutdown of the city's usually bustling international airport for two days after it was occupied by demonstrators.

Difficult to tell if the People’s Armed Police (PAP, #武警) deployment in Shenzhen’s #深圳 Futian #福田区 District 12 Aug (?) is a simple ‘show of force’ or designed to ‘coerce an end’ to #HongKongProtests. #antiELAB #反送中 pic.twitter.com/xOH8LG7jEK
— Wes Andrews (@Wes_Andrews) August 12, 2019​

Another clear capture of a Chinese military column entering the #Shenzhen Bay Sports Centre, pinpointing this location as a potential military operation HQ, just 25km from #HongKong. #China #HongKongProtests #Democracy pic.twitter.com/34hODVgwbq
— Alexandre Krauss (@AlexandreKrausz) August 12, 2019​

 

[maxxi]

Reddit has vid of tanks rolling in Yuen Long

 

[tanwahtiu]

China just send their shaolin warriors enogh to smash Wing Chun shortarse..

 

[tun_dr_m]

Not enough!

Way insufficient and way fucking too kind!

Bad kid HK deserves Very Strong Punishments. Must Already Rotan their Ass Pitcha BLEEDING and TOOTH on the ground. 打得满地找牙。

Fucking SPOILED BRAT FUCKING USELESS, FUCKING NASTY, FUCKING PAMPERED, FUCKING UNFAIRLY PRIVILEGED. Always Naughty and Always Fucking FORGIVEN!

Nah Beh!

That's why fucking Taiwan is not afraid and fucking Si-Beay-Kuai-Lan!


Set budget of 1000 death toll and imposed strongly all within 24Hrs. No fucking Jokers to protest any shit for 10 years.


Too Fucking Gentle! Too fucking Civilized! Too fucking Loving & Reasonable! Chow Ang Moh also based on that to estimate that they are fucking safe to fuck around won't be ass bleeding or up lorry inside fucking coffins or fed to Sharks became Shark Fin Soup on Chinese Restaurant Tables.

Xijinping need to REVERSE ALL THAT and let all the fucking Bastards Learn their fucking ideas.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Ah tiong commies only good at shooting local people..

 

[steffychun]

Aiyah, just fire a DF-21.

 

[rushifa666]

And that is the only way tk win. A rehash of tianan will show the morons sucking china cock what deluded idiots they are. Gpan arsehokple beckming rich does not mean he is no longer one

 

[tun_dr_m]

Ah tiong commies only good at shooting local people..

By New Definition now, a most LETHAL REGIME is a PERFECTION.

 

[A Singaporean]

Stupid Honkies finished.

 

[ballsoffire]

It’s just a matter of time

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Tiananmen Square organiser fears Hong Kong protests will come to 'showdown moment'
The Signal
By Stephen Stockwell and Ruby Jones

Posted earlier today at 12:21amFri 16 Aug 2019, 12:21am


Photo: Mr Wu'er was one of the leaders of the Tiananmen student uprising. (4 Corners)

Related Story: A trick by Hong Kong police is making protesters paranoid and violent
Related Story: What happens when you show the tank man photo to young Chinese students?
Related Story: Satellite photos show scale of China's military build-up on Hong Kong border

Thirty years ago Wu'er Kaixi helped organise pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square. Now he is watching protests in Hong Kong and waiting for a government crackdown to silence protesters.

Key points:

• Wu'er Kaixi fears the Hong Kong protests will escalate further
• Recent images show a build-up of Chinese troops at the border with Hong Kong
• Mr Wu'er says the formally conservative city is now made up of 'seven million democracy activists'

For his role organising the Tiananmen protests he ended up number two on China's 1989 most wanted list and now lives in exile in Taiwan.

"I was one of the founders of the student movement, commonly known as the Tiananmen student movement, which ended when the Chinese mobilised standing troops to come into the city and massacred peaceful protesters," he said.

Mr Wu'er said the situation in Hong Kong was a very familiar story. He said if he was not banned from travelling to the city, he would be there.

Photo: The Tiananmen Square protests lasted for six weeks. (Supplied: Jeff Widener)


"The central government do not want to give its people freedom," he said.

"It's an identical part [of the two events], it's the same enemy of the people that links the two demonstrations; one in Beijing 30 years ago and one in Hong Kong going on today."

He fears the response to the protests unfolding in Hong Kong will be the same as the response in Tiananmen 30 years ago.

"Unfortunately, the enemy that we're facing do not know any tricks when confronted by people with determination," he said.

"Thirty years ago they deployed troops and I'm afraid this time they're thinking of doing the same."

Clashes between police and protesters an almost daily occurrence
Protests have been rolling through Hong Kong, spreading from the centre of the city into the suburbs, for over two months.

They started as a response to a controversial extradition bill, which could have seen Hong Kong residents taken to China to face trial.

Photo: Hong Kong police have been criticised for the tactics used against protesters. (AP via HK01: Jeff Cheng)


The Hong Kong Government withdrew the bill in July, with leader Carrie Lam admitting even she was not in support of it.

"I have almost immediately put a stop to the amendment exercise, but there are still lingering doubts about the government's sincerity or worries [about] whether the government will restart the process in the Legislative Council," she said.

"So I reiterate here, there is no such plan. The bill is dead."

The withdrawal has not satisfied protesters though, who are fearful the central government in Beijing will keep trying to exert more power in Hong Kong.

They say they are fighting against the erosion of the "one country, two systems' arrangement which gives Hong Kong some autonomy from China.

Clashes between police and protesters have become an almost daily occurrence and this week an occupation of the city's airport shut it down for days.

Photo: The protest movement managed to occupy and shut down Hong Kong airport. (AP: Kin Cheung)


The organisation and tactics of protesters in Hong Kong have impressed Mr Wu'er.

"The Hongkongers this time have developed this very clever tactic that it is a leaderless organisation, unlike in 1989 when we needed a student organisation, we needed a negotiator," he said.

"We were willing even to compromise back in 1989, if the government would give us something.

"But 30 years later, I think Hongkongers know one thing: the matter of freedom there has no room for compromise."

Recently, the central government in Beijing said protests were beginning to show "sprouts of terrorism" and satellite photos have found what appears to be a build-up of Chinese military vehicles near the border with Hong Kong.

The pictures, released by Maxar Technologies, appear show more than a 100 troop carriers and other vehicles inside a sports centre in Shenzhen, the closest mainland Chinese city to Hong Kong.

Photo: The satellite image appears to show Chinese security force vehicles inside the Shenzen Bay Sports Centre. (Maxar Technologies via AP)


Police have fended off attacks by protesters and the protestors have allegedly been assaulted by gang members paid to rough them up, but Mr Wu'er fears the situation could escalate.

"Perhaps they realise the brutal clubbing by the police is not enough, not sufficient to scare the Hong Kong people off, so they probably will escalate that into a new level I'm afraid," he said.

"I am extremely afraid there will be human life lost."

'A city of seven million democracy activists'
While Hongkongers supported protesters in Tiananmen in 1989 with mass vigils held in solidarity, Mr Wu'er said the people of Hong Kong had been comfortable with the status quo in their own city.

"Hong Kong, a city of six to seven million people, has always been a business driven society and the people were business minded, meaning conservative and a little bit scared all the time," he said.

"They wanted to maintain peace, stability and order.

"This time I think I have seen through the two months, with more than 60 days of demonstrations, the faces of Hongkongers have transformed. "They want their freedom more than their stability.

"They have transformed, this business-minded, conservative, oriental society is now a city of seven million democracy activists."


YouTube: Watch the full Four Corners report: Tremble and Obey


He now feels this movement has grown to a point where conflict is inevitable.

"Any movement that has come to this scale has already developed it's own character and it's own spirit," he said.

"I think it will come to the showdown moment."

The Chinese government's goal if it comes to a showdown, according to Mr Wu'er, would be to scare the people to the point where they are afraid to protest.

"Beijing would probably think that a crackdown would instil enough fear in the society," he said.

"They did it in 1989 and they're confident if they do it again it will have the same effect, I think that's the mentality of Beijing that worries me."