China Soldiers Help Clean Up Damage in Hong Kong
- Only second time PLA troops active in city since 1997 handover
- Hong Kong government says soldiers’ assistance was voluntary
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Soldiers from China’s People’s Liberation Army took the rare step of leaving their barracks to join cleanup efforts in Hong Kong on Saturday to clear roads and other barricades set up during a week of anti-government protests.
The soldiers marched from their barracks in the Kowloon Tong district in green T-shirts and black shorts around 4 p.m. This was the first time the PLA has ventured on to the streets since the unrest began five months ago. They helped crowds of people near Hong Kong Baptist University remove bricks and rubble from the roads.