100 riot police to be on standby for launch of Hong Kong’s express rail line to mainland China
Officers will ‘deal with any possible complications’ when Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam and Guangdong governor Ma Xingrui tour the terminal
About 100 riot police will be on standby near the West Kowloon terminal on Saturday as Hong Kong marks the launch of its long-awaited and controversial cross-border high-speed rail link to mainland China.
The officers would not patrol the area, a police source said, but would “deal with any possible complications” that may arise when Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Guangdong governor Ma Xingrui and 500 guests begin their tour of the terminal at 10am.
Officers from Yau Tsim district and the Kowloon West regional headquarters will maintain order inside the station.
The guests will then board a Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express train heading for Guangzhou South, a 142km journey that would take them 48 minutes on a non-stop service.
Legislators from Hong Kong’s pro-establishment parties said they would attend the ceremony, held a day before trains begin running.
“Everybody wants to be on [that train],” Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong vice-chairman Gary Chan Hak-kan said.