Safeguards and support

At a recent meeting with mainland reporters, Fernando Chui Sai-on, who will leave his post as chief executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region on Friday, said he wanted to express gratitude on behalf of all Macao people to the PLA garrison for its service and contribution to the city.

"They are the major force that safeguards our security. They have given a great deal of support to us and always abide by garrison law," he said. "Macao people love the soldiers because they have done a lot for us. There are many people who visit the troops' base during the garrison's open house every year, as the locals have a deep affection for the soldiers."

He cited the garrison's assistance in the wake of Typhoon Hato as an example of the central government's strong support for the city. The storm, which hit Macao in August 2017, was the most devastating disaster in the area since 1953, when the city's typhoon records began.

"It was a very difficult period for our city, because we hadn't met such a strong typhoon in recent decades," he recalled.

"At that time, the garrison's troops offered us a great deal of support. They worked hard with the locals to reduce losses and alleviate the impact to help us return to a normal life."

Wong Kin, an adviser to the Macao Unitary Police Service, stressed that PLA soldiers played an important role in the relief work after Typhoon Hato.

"We discovered that we were facing a serious situation－there was garbage everywhere and sanitary conditions were deteriorating. We needed a lot of hands to clear the garbage and debris," he said. "At the same time, there was another typhoon approaching, and we were worried about its consequences."

Given the difficult circumstances, the city government decided to invoke terms in garrison law to ask for the central government's permission to deploy soldiers in the relief efforts, Wong said.

"Soldiers from the garrison were quickly dispatched to help us clean the streets. As far as I saw, the residents very much welcomed the military's assistance, and were very grateful. Some residents said the soldiers came to their house to take out heavy items, and helped restore many roads. Their help also enabled us to be better prepared for the next typhoon," he added.

Guan Liuhan, a female soldier at the garrison, recalled that many of her peers were sent onto the streets together with their male comrades to help clean up the mess.

"The typhoon was so powerful that the roof of our residential building was blown off. To be honest, we girls were frightened, but none of us quit when we were summoned by the commanding officer, who told us to make ready for relief tasks outside our base," she said.

"After we got to the site where we were ordered to assist residents, I literally saw a 'mountain of garbage' on the street and nearly all the small buildings along the street had been destroyed."

Guan said she and her comrades used every minute to clear the waste and debris on the street, including large amounts of decaying, fetid fish and shrimps.

"When we returned to our base, I found my clothes smelled very bad. So I asked my sergeant if I could take them off," Guan recalled. "She replied, 'This is exactly the time a soldier should be prepared for orders to be mobilized'. It was then that I realized what it means to be a PLA soldier."

According to garrison statistics, the troops worked for three consecutive days in alternate shifts, helping to clear 120.5 kilometers of road and remove more than 700 truckloads of garbage and debris.

Local people used many methods to express the gratitude they felt to the soldiers.

About 150,000 residents, roughly 25 percent of Macao's population, wrote their names, words of gratitude and blessings on 17 scrolls, which were handed to the garrison's commander by representatives from all walks of life.

"The PLA soldiers are like our family members, and they truly care about us," said Lau Sin Peng, a distinguished educator in Macao, quoted by China Radio International.

"We were extremely happy when we saw them come out to help us after Hato, and they really did many good things for us. In the past, it was only in movies and books that we heard the saying that the PLA members are the people's soldiers. After the typhoon, our personal experiences told us that it is true."

In a handwritten letter sent to President Xi Jinping in June, students at the Premier School Affiliated to Hou Kong Middle School in Macao said the sight of PLA soldiers using all their strength to help people affected by the typhoon taught them the real meaning of the word "motherland".

Meanwhile, Xinhua News Agency cited the result of a recent poll in Macao showing that the PLA Macao Garrison has maintained a 99 percent approval rate from local people for several years.