Chinese media report that military troops will be deployed if necessary

In the middle of the shocking news that Hong Kong police fired aimed shots at unarmed protesters, the entire city fell into chaos due to the collisions between protesters obstructing public transportation and the police suppressing them. Chinese state-run media, meanwhile, raised the necessity of deploying Chinese troops once again. While the U.S. Department of State expressed concerns on Monday over the worsening situation in Hong Kong through a statement by its spokesperson, the Hong Kong government has reconfirmed its touch crackdown policy. “The obstruction of public transportation is extremely selfish,” Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam said during a regular briefing on Tuesday.

Some say that the severity of suppression by the Hong Kong police has been raised after the chief executive’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vice Premier of the State Council Han Zheng in early this month. In fact, it is estimated that over 500 Hong Kong citizens have been arrested in November according to the Hong Kong media.

Protesters tried to block the operation of subways during the morning rush hour on Tuesday. Subway stations in Hong Kong’s downtown – Mong Kok, Kwai Fong, Sai Wan Ho, etc. – were closed and stopped operation. A subway train could not enter Sha Tin Station due to stones thrown by protesters. Passengers, including pregnant women, had to get off the train and walk about 100 meters along the railroad to the station. The image of an elderly walking wearing an oxygen mask provided by paramedics was captured. The operation of buses in several areas including Sai Wan Ho was also obstructed by protesters who blocked streets with barricades.

The police fired tear gas from early in the morning in order to disperse protesters taking place in multiple universities in the city, including Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and City University of Hong Kong. The armed police even entered a parked subway train and asked passengers on commute to leave the station.

A protester was shot with a revolver by the police at a protest site in Sai Wan Ho on Monday morning and had been in a critical situation. According to the South China Morning Post, the protester is now in a stable condition.


Wan-Jun Yun zeitung@donga.com