On Oct 24th, CCTV reported that the PLA Hong Kong garrison held an military exercise against an imaginary Cantonese-speaking “Blue Army”.
According to Oct 26th Mingpao,
CCTV reported that the Hong Kong garrison held a tri-service military exercise in New Territories yesterday (*It should be on the 24th. The journalist quoted from CCTV Morning News on the 25th.). The aim is to test the garrison on combating in unfamiliar territories. In the video, the PLA built a Hong Kong street scene and simulated a street war. On the streets, there are Heng Seng Bank, HSBC and businesses that are familiar to Hongkongers. Shop signs are all in traditional Chinese. Soldiers even yelled in Cantonese, “You are surrounded. Put down your weapon quickly. (*1:01)”
“Blue Army”: Hong Kong Separatism
According to Oct 26th Metro Daily,
Tri-Service Military Exercise is Suspected to Target Hong Kong Separatism
The conflict between China and Hong Kong becomes intense. In many protests, there were people holding the blue dragon-and-lion flag which symbolises the colonial era. The former deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Chen Zhoer, claims many times that Hong Kong separatism is rising recently. Coincidentally, this tri-service military exercise on Wednesday tested the garrison’s combat abilities with the imaginary “Blue Army” seizing a mountainous area in New Territories and nearby streets. A political commentator thinks that holding a large-scale military exercise aiming at Hong Kong separatism will only disgust Hongkongers.
Again, on the Oct 26th Mingpao,
The Garrison Simulated Street Wars. Scholar: Intimidate Hong Kong Separatism
President of Macao Society of International Military Affairs, Wong Tung, said in the interview that this is the biggest military exercise ever announced by the Hong Kong garrison. Besides showing off military power before the 18th National Congress, the rise of Hong Kong separatism is estimated to be another reason for the action. He thinks that Beijing uses the military exercise to demonstrate the influence of Beijing and the sovereignty of Hong Kong. He added, “Beijing tells Hongkongers that the Hong Kong garrison is not just a vase. Instead, it has combat power. Beijing wants to intimidate Hong Kong Separatism.”
CUHK Politics and Public Administration senior professor Choy Chi-keung thinks that it is hard not to associate the alert for the rise of Hong Kong Separatism raised by the former deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office Chen Zhoer and this high-profile military exercise of the Hong Kong garrison. However, for the extremists, a high-profile military exercise disgusts them.
Chen Zhoer: Hong Kong Separatism Spreads like Virus
According to Oct 25th Mingpao,
Chen Zhoer: Hong Kong Separatism Spreads like Virus
When the former deputy director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Chen Zhoer, participated in a forum of the People’s Daily, some netizens commented that Beijing had taken good care of Hong Kong and yet Hongkongers were ungrateful. Chen replied that Hong Kong separatism has been rising recently. He describes that the rise is “spreading as fast as virus” and “a naked truth” and should be alerted and sternly handled.
Chen expressed that the comment of Lu Ping was severe but sincere and though-provoking. He quoted the comment of Lu Ping…
(*The following is the comment of Lu Ping, former director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, on the SCMP. )
He also said that Hong Kong makes up of 40% of foreign investment in Mainland China and has made countless contributions towards the Open Door Policy. He added that Hong Kong compatriots have always donated generously when Mainland China have disasters. He described that the relationship between China and Hong Kong is complicated yet simple.
In replying the issue that some Hongkongers waved the colonial flag in protests, Chen emphasised that the “rice-character flag” (the Union Jack) should be placed inside museums and not be appeared on the streets. He said Britain simply did not care about Hong Kong. He then dug up old history and criticised that the British Army wasted Hong Kong taxpayers’ money. However, during World War 2, “cowards” Hong Kong governor and the British Army surrendered to the Japanese army. He added, “at that time, Hong Kong governor and commanders of the British Army only wanted to save their own lives. As a result, the Japanese army invaded the military hospital in Stanley, slaughtered 170 wounded soldiers and medical personnel and gang-raped 7 nurses.
The Reality
The photo posted by SCMP is from the demonstration against Beijing’s Liaison Office on Oct 1st. In a video taken by a protester, even among British Hong Kong flag bearers, only one young protester (1:25) held protest signs advocating Hong Kong independence.
The Chinese part: China won’t give us real autonomy. The only way is to get independence.
The English part: Independence for Hong Kong
Comments on the Military Excercise
我隻貓叫貓貓: It’s f**king funny. The garrison simulated street wars to threaten its own people. China is really wonderful.
死貓反彈: The Communist Party creates “enemies” to oppress Hongkongers.
沈萬三: Wanna intimidate Hong Kong separatism…Actually, they’re creating Hong Kong separatism themselves…*clown*
阿賴耶識: Hong Kong separatism is a non-issue. The Communist Party intentionally creates this topic and its aim is to implement Article 23 again.
菜鳥一號: Hongkonger is “famous” for being mild and logical. The act that 500,000 protesters dispersed peacefully shocked the world. The Communist Party can still threaten Hongkonger with PLA. From this, we can see that if Hong Kong doesn’t get independence, the wee bit of freedom of speech will be gone.
雷蜂: I’ve no opinion on Hong Kong independence. However, I really don’t understand what’s the deal with the colonial Hong Kong flag? What’s so “rebellious” about it?
Actually, ever since the Handover, many Hongkongers feel that their lives have been going backwards and think that at least we should protect our homeland and interests.
What’s wrong with cherishing the “good old days”? Even the right of cherishing the past has to be deprived? Then, reluctantly praising that so-called motherland is the only way to show that one has no intention to be a separatist? They won’t be happy without controlling our minds. Where are the tolerance and respect that are advocated by the leftists? They will say we’re hurting the fragile emotions of “compatriots”. So when Mainlanders are pressing us and coordinating with Hong Kong commies to destroy Hong Kong, who have ever think about us?
Comments on Lu Ping’s Water Supply Threat
Wan Chin: Whenever Mainland Chinese and Beijing officials threaten to stop Dongjiang water supply, I am always puzzled: Stopping water and food supplies are malicious tactics used to deal with enemies in ancient wars. They constantly use this to threaten Hongkongers. Modern warfare doesn’t even consider stopping enemies’ water supply. This group of Mainland Chinese, what kind of intention they have?
Wan Chin: Mainlanders don’t think that Hongkongers are their compatriots from their bottom of their hearts. Threaten to cut water and food supplies? Even during WW2, when the Japanese army was attacking Hong Kong, it had not threatened to cut water and food supplies. It just allocated food.
Even Russia had not threatened to stop natural gas supply to former Eastern European Communist countries. Russia only said that it is not Soviet Union anymore and can’t supply at super low cost. The friendship between PRC and Hong Kong is not as good as Russia to other Eastern European races.
According to an article on BBC Chinese, which reported that Singapore encourages its people to drink reclaimed water, former Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad said Hong Kong paid 260 times more than Singapore for water. Besides its high price, Radio Free Asia (RFA) also reported that Dongjiang water is polluted by the mining of rare earth metals in the origin of Dongjiang River. Hong Kong the Sun even calls Dongjiang water as “faecal water“. There was even a rumour in 2010 that the number of leukemia increased by 20% annually in Hong Kong as Dongjiang water was polluted by radiation due to the mining of rare earth metals.
Comments on Chen Zhoer’s Speech
Analysis from House News
“Hong Kong separatism spreads and needs to be handled sternly”, what does it mean? To ban succession actions, the legislation of Article 23 is certainly needed. Once the false accusation succeeds, autonomy movement and netizens who wave the dragon-and-lion flag will become the “straw man”, creating the illusion that Hong Kong separatism exists and spreads in the society. Naturally, it will pave the path for the legislation of anti-succession law.
Netizens mock that Chen Zhoer is the father of Hong Kong separatism.
Trying his Best to Promote Hong Kong Independence
The Father of Hong Kong Separatism – Chen Zhoer
Dictionary of Politically Incorrect Hong Kong Cantonese 
The tighter their grip on Hong Kong, the more longing Hong Kongers will be for separatism.
the funniest part was the mando-accented cantonese… luv it how they try to make things so ambiguous by calling it “red team” vs “blue team” but anybody with half a brain will understand this is an exercise against hk separatists. kinda like that time when the pla conducted exercises in case some “unnamed” island declared independence. i bet that island they were thinking is hainan.
I think the “unnamed” island is Taiwan or HK, not that Taiwan isn’t already independent in all ways except on paper.
I wouldn’t view the exercise as anything more than meaningless sabre-rattling, though. The current takeover of HK is already progressing frighteningly well without any shots being fired.
However, this does raise the issue with the HK independence movement, exactly how do they plan to achieve independence?
If you try to use political means, the CCP will simply exert its influence on local politicians to ensure a referendum never takes place. If the unlikely chance that a referendum does take place, the CCP will simply stuff the ballots to ensure a favourable outcome, if that doesnt succeed then the CCP will simply state martial law and forcibly enact sovereignty.
We will never gain any international assistance on this issue as nobody will confront China, look how much those ‘Free Tibet’ protesters are achieving.
How can it happen? Hong Kong has the moral high ground for being critical of mainland encroachment and the means to communicate our grievances through social media, but facebook and twitter wont protect us from bullets and tanks.
Maybe the blue flag is the UK, if the Chinese are so paranoid that they suspect that the British wish to return for the safety of their citizens here?
Also, desalination plants like those in Australia are a much better solution for HK. The water will be very clean and safe for drinking. Food can be imported from SE Asia instead of China, like before handover.
“Food can be imported from SE Asia instead of China.” I’m not sure our SEA friends would enjoy running a PLA blockade every day just to keep us alive. I fear the only way HK can be free of the CCP is if the CCP collapses on its own.
I think Hong Kong built a desalination plant many years ago, near Tuen Mun, but it was closed due to high costs. It would be interesting to compare the costs of that desalinated water with today’s Dongjiang water.
Whatever the official position of the British government would be, I’m confident that if China actually go full out war on Hong Kong, we’ll have some British friends on our side, just like how they helped us (and helped Mainlanders too) with Operation Yellow Bird. But I don’t think China would ever storm HK with troops, more likely they’ll set up ‘black jails’ like what they have in mainland right now, the corrupted sneaks.
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