What Is Happening In Hong Kong & Why Is China Deploying Military Forces Near Its Border

Hong Kong is facing a major political crisis as its mass demonstrations entered 10th week. The protests started against a controversial law but have now become bigger.

Millions of protesters have been marching through the streets later evolving into groups of yellow-hatted demonstrators storming into government headquarters. The city airport was shut briefly on August 13 and opened later due to massive protests.

While the majority of protesters have been peaceful, frustration is building on all sides.

Protesters demand greater and better democracy and an inquiry into alleged police brutality during past demonstrations. Beijing is tightening grip and calling for order, On August 14, armoured troops were called in as unrest intensifies.

Why is Hong Kong protesting?

Hong Kong belongs to China, but has its own political system, cultural identity and currency. Most people from Hong Kong do not identify themselves as Chinese but rather as Hong Kongers.

AFP

Hong Kong was a colony and territory of the United Kingdom for more than 150 years, until the British handed it back over to China in 1997.

Hong Kong's de-facto constitution, the Hong Kong Basic Law, enshrines this uniqueness. It guarantees freedoms to Hong Kongers that are not available to mainland Chinese such as the right to protest, the right to free press and freedom of speech.

Previously, Beijing assured that they won¡¯t interfere in Hong Kong, but lately Beijing has repeatedly reinterpreted the Basic Law -- now it says it has "complete jurisdiction" over Hong Kong.

The Basic Law states that Hong Kong "shall safeguard the rights and freedoms of the residents" for 50 years after the handover. Many residents say mainland China is already starting to encroach on those rights.

Protests & Protesters

Massive peaceful protests, widespread strikes and small group actions have been met with vandalism and clashes - including putting up a banner in the seat of government that read "There's no rioters, there's only tyranny."

¡°The protests were sparked in July by widespread opposition to a now-shelved extradition bill, but have since expanded to demands for full democracy and police accountability,¡± says a CNN report.

Allegations of police brutality have intensified the protests.

Reuters

The Hong Kong airport, one of the busiest airports in Asia, has emerged as key protest target as anti-government took their message directly to the international community.

At the airport over the weekend, flyers in Chinese, English, French, Korean, Japanese and other languages were handed out to arriving international visitors, explaining the grounds of the unrest -- as protesters see it -- and the demands of the opposition movement.

On Monday, almost 200 flights were cancelled to and from Hong Kong. More were cancelled on Tuesday as the shutdown entered its second day.

Beijing are sending military force from China mainland to Hong Kong. Here is the situation at Shenzhen border :#HongKongProtesters #HongKong #HongKongExtraditionLaw pic.twitter.com/9SRbrmQyNU

¡ª ? Guillaume Helleu (@g_helleu) August 12, 2019

The Chinese military, believing in the intel and these videos, have set in place a comprehensive military operation targeting the situation in #HongKong. #HongKongProtests #China #Democracy pic.twitter.com/QWFM11XYKC

¡ª Alexandre Krauss (@AlexandreKrausz) August 12, 2019

China has now deployed a huge number of paramilitary forces close to the border with Hong Kong, intending to send a message to protesters.

The presence of forces close to the borders comes amidst speculation that Chinese forces could enter the city and quash the protests.