Pan-dems Question Need For PLA Dock In Central

Pro-democracy lawmakers have questioned why the People's Liberation Army needs part of the Central harbourfront for a military dock, when it's already got a naval base at Stonecutters Island.

The 0.3 hectares of land on the waterfront have already been gazetted for military use, and the PLA has agreed to open the area to the public when the dock isn’t in use.

But speaking at a Legco security panel meeting pro-democracy lawmaker Au Nok-hin asked why Hong Kong needs another military site when the PLA will likely only use it a couple of times a year.

Security Secretary John Lee replied that the legislator clearly doesn't know much about defence, saying military attacks can happen at anytime and the authorities therefore need to be on the alert.

Lee added that anybody who has watched movies or learnt about the Second World War will know that the attack on Pearl Harbour came without warning.

The Liberal Party's Shiu Ka-fai, meanwhile, pointed out that the pier is located at a strategic location, where the Chief Executive's office, the government's headquarters and the Legco complex are also situated.

Council First lawmaker Claudia Mo, however, said she was worried that people might unintentionally break the law if they go into the dock area.

“That area is now signed and deemed as part of the PLA Garrison, and so it comes under Garrison Law. But then, when it's not in use, they say people can go in and enjoy themselves. But that bit of land will come under mainland Chinese law, it would be a repeat of this co-location controversy that we had gone through and it could be unsettling,” Mo said.