Five hundred of them in thirty-nine vehicles will be allowed to cross into Hong Kong at 9 o clock in the evening of the handover. They will be allowed to bring light arms. The main contingent of a garrison that will eventually number around 10,000 will march into Hong Kong soon after midnight, a spectacle that s caused deep disquiet in some border communities. Schools have distributed invitations to parents, asking them to bring their children to shake flags at the arriving soldiers. She complains that the authorities are trying to mimic the way celebrations are orchestrated on the mainland and has told the school she won t go along with it.
Parents think it s crazy.
That s been echoed by the colony s biggest teaching union, which also objects to schoolchildren being asked to turn out in the middle of the night. The anger also stems in part from a deep suspicion of the PLA after the Tiananmen Square massacre, which provoked outrage in Hong Kong. Twenty-five schools have issued the invitations, but school principals have been stung by the criticism and don t expect a big turnout. They do insist attendance is strictly voluntary, and that their motives are honorable. The PLA coming to Hong Kong are expressly trained to take over the safety of Hong Kong in 1997 and for the years after 1997.