My Beijing-based journalist friend Tim Mcgregor replies.
Would China use its military to put down the protests in Hong Kong?
Tom McGregor, I lived in Beijing since Oct. 2010
Answered Jul 8 · Upvoted by Eugepar Tong, lives in Hong Kong
That won’t happen unless Hong Kong protesters attempt to crossover into the Mainland and spark riots in Shenzhen and other cities in Guangdong Province. The Hong Kong mobs will soon learn that law enforcement officials in Guangdong provincial cities would not imitate the soft response of Hong Kong police officers.
The youthful zealots in Hong Kong, who aspire for Antifa anarchist violence, have been treated with kid gloves in their city of refuge.
As noted in multiple Western media reports, China has some of the most advanced surveillance equipment in the world and they have installed cameras on Hong Kong’s streets with integrated facial recognition technologies linked to AI (Artificial Intelligence).
So let’s say violent protesters were observed throwing bricks at local police officers but somehow avoided arrest. A camera could capture their actions and transmit the facial recognition identification into Big Data reports, via a smart technologies upload. The face when identified makes the person blacklisted from entry into the Mainland as they can be stopped and arrested at the Border.
Chinese authorities are closely monitoring activities at the Border on Hong Kong. They have set up check points requiring people in transit to get a photo taken and if they are identified as alleged criminals they can be arrested on the spot.
But if the Antifa rioters attempt the strategy to storm the borders, well Beijing can shut down those facilities and all those present could be subject to arrest and that will be cited on their permanent records.
Have you noticed that HK protest leaders keep begging for all people arrested at protests to receive amnesty? That’s their big weakness. You have teenagers and young adults who seek to wreak havoc on the city’s streets, but are afraid to be charges as a felon, because they will be out of luck finding jobs later on, due to rigorous background checks conducted by potential employers.
When protesters learn that amnesty is impossible they will start to reconsider their actions and plans. Right now, they are under the naivete impression they will receive amnesty even if that includes them murdering a cop. The demonstrators should also understand they can not hide their actions with so many surveillance cameras on the streets.
Let’s say they wear masks, well that would identify them as potential criminals and Hong Kong police should quickly arrest them. To avoid arrests they have to show their faces in the crowd, but video cameras record everything, so if they engage in violence their faces will be spotted. The PLA will not need to march into Hong Kong, since that would spark massive panic.
Hong Kong protesters are trying to play a game, known as “chump bait,” which is to act so out of control that Beijing would get angry and deploy PLA troops to the city and that could ignite a public outcry from foreign governments and they may face economic sanctions or worse.
Beijing understands that and will not risk World War III. or economic isolation to beat down children protesting on the streets. It reminds me of a movie I saw as a child, but I forgot the name, just recall it was a John Wayne movie. Adult soldiers were marching into battle, but discovered they were confronting boys, not men so for a moment they stood perplexed.
They didn’t want to shoot them, but they had to punish these kids, so they let the boys charge them and the men soldiers put them on their knees and gave them spankings. The movie ended with the boys crying and begging for mercy.
The PLA knows that if they marched into Hong Kong that would be an unfair fight. The protesters would not last more than 10 minutes even in hand-to-hand fights. But the Hong Kong police need better training at enforcing crowd control measures. When reviewing video footage, it’s noticeable they do not demonstrate clear resolve to shut down protests that erupt into violence.
Hong Kong police must improve their methods to quell the violence or the situation will reach the point of no return and that would be disastrous for the City’s survival. Police officers have an obligation to protect the public safety and that means patrolling the streets and not trying to win popularity contests.
Conditions are worsening and it’s time for the police to rally forces for the peace and prosperity of their homes and neighborhoods. The protesters will never surrender peacefully, so go ahead and put them in jails and stop the amnesty. They made the decision to commit crimes, and they must live with the consequences of that forevermore.
In case you are curious, here are the latest updates on the rioting in Hong Kong, posted by Market Watch with a link here:
marketwatch.com
According to Market Watch:
“The city’s legislature will not be able to meet for three months because of the extensive damage by the protesters, pro-democracy lawmaker Helena Wong said.
She said the fire prevention and electronic voting systems need to be repaired and restored. She also said that computer hard discs had been taken from the security control room, with the names, photos and titles of those who had building access.”
Many kids protesting in Hong Kong appear to have a death wish, but the PLA will not grant their wishes. The Hong Kong police are responsible for the city’s public security and they have to take charge before it’s too late.
Tmcgregorchina@yahoo.com |
