Beijing rebuffs army in Hong Kong as 1960s laws threaten freedoms
Video report by ITV News Asia Correspondent Debi Edward
In the dead of night, hundreds of Chinese armoured vehicles rolled into Hong Kong.
After weeks of rhetoric from Beijing, the sight of mainland forces in the special administrative region will bring fear to many, but shock to few.
The communist regime maintains the images of tanks crossing the border come from the routine rotation of troops - but for many it has double meaning.
Three months after the protests started, they show little sign of slowing.
Petrol bombs have replaced placards, violent clashes dominate the city's streets most weekends.
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Whilst the skirmishes don't tell the story of all the protests, they are what draw the attention of authorities - both domestically and across the border in mainland China.
Chinese state media reported on the rotation as routine, an annual event happening for the 22nd time.
In nearby Macau, which has similar status to Hong Kong, similar maneuvers were completed - albeit not under the auspices of protest.
Fear new laws could take freedom away from Hong Kong
The rotation comes amid growing fears the government in Hong Kong is poised to introduce emergency legislation, giving it unbridled power to quash the demonstrations.
Pro-democracy lawmaker, Charles Mok, says doing so would be tantamount to martial law.
"Some of us even look at it and say its given them even more power than they have in mainland China. In this particular situation they [could] establish a new law in order to deal with the current situation.
"Obviously they are intending to use the law straight away to the maximum extent."
Emergency laws were last used in the 1960s to contain riots during the British colonial era.
The legislation, dating back more than five decades, gives the government authority to act without consultation.
Under broad laws, lawmakers could give police the remit to detain protesters.
Controls at ports and transport hubs could be tightened, and the internet censored, alongside communications services - much like in mainland China.
One of Beijing's most outspoken advocates maintains the protests are an attempt to overthrow the region's government.
Speaking to ITV News, Hu Xijin, editor of China's largest state run tabloid, the Global Times, said: "In Hong Kong we have seen the rule of law seriously undermined, which is the core of society. They have seriously damaged the government's authority, so it cannot even govern properly.
"Protests are using more and more dangerous measures against the police."
He added the UK is helping stoke the violence.
Protesters now face a double threat to their cause - a rebuffed Chinese army on their doorstep, and the threat of decades-old legislation bringing their voices, demands and protests to a silent end.