Red guard for British war heroes

A British memorial to the dead of two world wars will soon be guarded by the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA).

The army which left an indelible mark on the history of the 20th-century with the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, is likely to take part in the ceremonies and provide an honour guard for the Cenotaph which stands at the heart of Hong Kong's financial district.

Following the British withdrawal on 1 July, the Cenotaph was shorn of its flags and the daily flag-raising and lowering ceremony ceased. Jack Edwardes, 79, secretary of the local Royal British Legion branch and a former Japanese prisoner-of-war, says that he tried to raise the issue with Tung Chee-hwa, Hong Kong's Chief Executive, before he took office.

He urged Mr Tung to persuade the PLA to take over the duties performed by the British forces at the Cenotaph. His request was put on hold, but yesterday a spokesman for Mr Tung said this was "a reasonable idea" and that although there had been no formal decision by the PLA, he expected one in time for the 11 November Remembrance Day commemoration.

Mr Edwardes wants Mr Tung to follow the former Governor's footsteps and lead the Remembrance Day service. There are also services for Anzac day and the four British national days, St George's, St Patrick's, St David's and St Andrew's.

Twenty-five years ago Mr Edwardes got the authorities to include a Chinese inscription on the Cenotaph which reads: "The spirit of heroes lives for ever." Most of those who are remembered are Chinese, not British. Although it is not widely known, some 4,000 Hong Kong Chinese perished while assisting the British forces in the First World War. Another 2,000-3,000 died while serving with the British forces in the Second World War and about 4,000 troops died in the futile defence of Hong Kong against the Japanese invasion. Mr Edwardes has suggested to the PLA that "if they want some good PR, this would be a good way to get it".

The signs are that he has hit the nail on the head, because China is determined to use the stationing of its garrison in Hong Kong as an opportunity to improve the PLA's image, which plummeted after the Tiananmen Square massacre.

General Liu Zhenwu, commander of the PLA garrison, told the former British commander, General Bryan Dutton, that "the Chinese wished to use Hong Kong as a window on the world to reverse that image".

It has made a start by dressing its troops in specially designed smart uniforms and devising special training programmes for the Hong Kong garrison. Now the PLA is examining ways of establishing a public relations unit, somewhat different from similar units in China which are part of the propaganda apparatus. At least one major international PR company has offered its services to the PLA.

Meanwhile, the poorly paid PLA troops in Hong Kong are reported to have been given an 800 per cent pay rise. This will take the pay of ordinary soldiers to between pounds 36-pounds 43 per month. General Liu's pay will rise to pounds 925 per month, about one-fifth of the sum paid to his predecessor General Dutton. The new pay scale puts him on a par with a Hong Kong secretary.

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