- Each group consisted of 10 to 20 men thought to be between 20 and 40 years old - many wearing the same white clothes and wristbands
- Source won't rule out 'that they came to Hong Kong to throw their weigh behind someone'
Groups of men from mainland China " numbering fewer than 100 in total and some of whom wore similar white clothes " entered Hong Kong from Shenzhen on Friday night through three border checkpoints, the Post has learned.
Each group consisted of 10 to 20 men thought to be between 20 and 40 years old. The groups entered the city through control points on the cross-border high-speed railway in West Kowloon, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint, a government source said on Saturday.
"Some were white-clad men and they were wearing rubber wristbands in the same colour," he said.
The source said the men wore similar clothes, but gave no indication they were members of tour groups. He said no helmets or gas masks were found in their belongings.
The source said it was unclear whether the groups were connected " and the reasons for their arrival in the city were unknown.
I don't rule out the possibility that they came to Hong Kong to throw their weigh behind someoneSource
Online rumours of mainlanders from Fuijian province coming to help residents in North Point and Tsuen Wan became frequent after clashes between anti-government protesters and local residents erupted in those areas.
The Post was told that some people were intercepted at the checkpoints and refused entry into Hong Kong.
The source said that other mainland groups were allowed into the city because they were not breaking any laws or found with illegal items.
"In the midst of the current political situation in Hong Kong, I don't rule out the possibility that they came to Hong Kong to throw their weigh behind someone," he said.
Court charges men arrested on suspicion of possessing petrol bombs
He said it was possible that similar groups had passed the control points without raising the attention of officers.
The police intend to deploy all five regional response teams, each consisting of about 600 riot police, to deal with possible unrest on Sunday, a force insider said.
More than 100 officers from the Special Tactical Squad, known as Raptors and the Blue Team, would be on standby.
The source said anti-riot vehicles with water cannons were unlikely to be deployed.
The Post has reached out the Security Bureau for comments about the groups of mainland men.
Copyright (c) 2019. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
