Shenzhen (China) (AFP)
Chinese forces, apparently belonging to the military police, were gathered Thursday in a stadium in Shenzhen, the metropolis on the outskirts of the autonomous territory of Hong Kong, said an AFP journalist.
The men in fatigues, which could be several thousand, were surrounded by trucks and armored personnel carriers.
The AFP journalist saw the men march in tight rows and practice running, while others motorbike outside the stadium, located less than 7 km from the Hong Kong border.
The reason for their presence at the stadium was not known.
After two months of pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong, Beijing has been lurking in the past few days the specter of intervention to restore order in the former British colony.
Videos of military convoys heading for Shenzhen were broadcast by the state media.
While some demonstrations took a violent turn, the communist regime Wednesday accused protesters from Hong Kong of committing acts "quasi-terrorists".
The Chinese army, which has a garrison of several thousand men in Hong Kong, is not supposed to meddle in the affairs of the territory, but it may have to do so at the request of the local authorities.
© 2019 AFP