China considered Hong Kong invasion

Hong Kong: Hong Kong is marking 10 years since handover but 40 years ago, as riots erupted on the colony's streets, another less peaceful "handover" was being considered.

One of the great unanswered questions, did China ever consider invading Hong Kong, has been answered and the use of military force was considered not just once, but twice according to a retired mainland official formerly in charge of Hong Kong affairs.

In 1967 the commander of the Guangzhou military region, over the border from Hong Kong, recommended a military invasion to quell rioting in the city, Lu Ping, the former director of the State Council's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, said in an interview with mainland satellite broadcaster Dragon TV.

The timing of this is crucial as Britain was then formulating what became known as "east of Suez", a policy where Britain was to eventually withdraw its army and navy from bases east of the canal.

That policy was officially announced in 1967 but if London knew through diplomatic channels China had been planning or even considering an invasion then it would have profoundly influenced "east of Suez".

Eavesdropped

London has consistently said it had no knowledge of Mao Zedong's intentions either way but Britain and the US had massive listening posts in Hong Kong that eavesdropped into China. It was entirely possible communications could have been intercepted.

Only the intervention of Chinese premier Zhou Enlai in 1967 stopped the invasion.

"When he learned of it, he gave an instruction late in the evening against [the People's Liberation Army] proceeding," Lu said.

Surprisingly, the next time military use was considered was in 1982 during the visit by then British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, to Beijing.

Thatcher did not want to give the colony back but her officials convinced her, rightly so, that holding on to it was not feasible.

Late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping told her mainland authorities would rethink the means of restoring Chinese sovereignty over Hong Kong if there was major unrest once the July 1, 1997, handover was announced, Lu recalled.

"The [new] 'method' referred to was its requisition by force" said Lu.

His comments were part of a Dragon TV series to mark the 10th anniversary of the handover.

The retired official is best remembered in the city for his stinging criticism of its last governor, Chris Patten, whom he once called a "sinner for a thousand years".

It was Patten's reforms that riled Beijing who saw any reforms as a covert way to combat Beijing's influence. What made the Chinese so suspicious was that for more than 150 years Britain had been reluctant to grant greater democracy in the colony. To bring in reforms so late in the day was difficult for Beijing to understand.

Insights

Lu is not the only former senior mainland official to have offered insights into what went on behind the scenes in the diplomatic battles between London and Beijing. Pro-Beijing newspaper Wen Wei Po published excerpts of a forthcoming book of memoirs by Zhou Nan, Xinhua news agency's former Hong Kong director, in which he was quoted as saying Beijing had considered using "non-peaceful means" to get back Hong Kong when considering its reunification.

Hard rain - instant form of recycling

Hong Kong: In the vast towering housing estates, far from the well-heeled glamour of Hong Kong's business district, there is another type of rain that falls from the skies. It is called "hard rain", a phrase typical of the morbid sense of Cantonese humour.

This "hard rain" will not be mentioned in any weather forecast. In this fast-paced city, it is a form of instant recycling.

Unwanted household goods are disposed of by the nearest window rather than into a rubbish skip. Pedestrians underneath are imperilled and sometimes impaled by innocent objects that become deadly when hurled from a height.

As any housing estate resident will confirm, a regular "rain" of cans and cigarette butts, bottles, mattresses and even refrigerators succumb to the laws of gravity after being chucked out the nearest window.

Hospitals have to deal daily with head injuries caused by this "rain".

The emergency departments as a matter of course typically treat patients with scissors, knives or other sharp objects stuck in their head or bodies, not to mention broken bones caused by irons, TV sets and any utensil or piece of equipment that is close at hand.

Much of this is plain uncaring behaviour. Besides, the problem of falling objects is not new. Hong Kong's neon signs have traditionally been less than secure and whole balconies are known to have tumbled onto pedestrians, killing them instantly.

But some also blame rising inequality for the downpour, which appears to be getting worse. Much of the object-throwing takes place in the city's public housing estates, where many of Hong Kong's poorer people live cramped together in tiny apartments.

It is not unusual to have six or seven people living in a one or two bedroom flat. Their frustration with lack of opportunities sees them take out their feelings of anger on fellow citizens.

The government is beginning to take this "hard rain" more seriously with a special budget of about $9 million (Dh33 million) to raise awareness of the dangers. What makes it difficult for the authorities is the culprits are next to impossible to identify.

With hundreds of flats in each block and the blocks situated just metres from each other, discovering who owns the kitchen knife, hair dryer or cleaver is time consuming and people will not testify against their neighbours.

The forecast is that the hard rain is likely to fall for some time yet.