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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1977
+ I WISH TO STRESS THAT THIS IS INCORRECT AND OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INSTITUTIONS ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT, ONLY NINE ARE PRISONS COMPARED TO NINE OTHER TYPES OF INSTITUTIONS (DRUG ADDICTION TREATMENT CENTRES, TRAINING CENTRES AND DETENTION CENTRES).+
CLARIFYING YET ANOTHER MISUNDERSTANDING THAT NON-CHINESE PRISONERS GET BETTER TREATMENT, HR. GARNER EMPHASISED THAT THE DEPARTMENT HAD LONG SINCE DROPPED THE TERM 'EUROPEAN PRISONER' REPLACING IT WITH OTHER NATIONALS'.
+THIS INCLUDES NOT ONLY A EUROPEAN BUT ALSO AN INDIAN, THAI
ANYONE JAPANESE, FILIPINO, MALAY, PAKISTANI ETC., IN OTHER WORDS, WHO IS NON-CHINESE.
+THE DIET SCALE PROVIDES FOR THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIET; THESE ARE INDIAN, CHINESE AND EUROPEAN AND, IN ADDITION, PRISONERS WHO ARE USED TO A WESTERN WAY OF LIFE MAY BE ISSUED WITH A MATTRESS, BED SHEETS AND AN ORDINARY PILLOW.
+WHILE THE GREATER MAJORITY WHO RECEIVE SUCH AN ISSUE (AND I DO NOT REFER TO IT AS A PRIVILEGE) ARE IN FACT OTHER NATIONALS AND MAINLY EUROPEANS; NEVERTHELESS, THE SAME CAN APPLY TO A CHINESE PARTICULARLY A CHINESE WHO IS USED TO A WESTERN WAY OF LIFE.
+THIS ALSO APPLIES TO THE QUESTION OF DIET. IF A PERSON (AND THIS CAN ALSO INCLUDE A CHINESE) IS NOT NORMALLY USED TO A CHINESE DIET, THEN THE ALTERNATIVE IS A EUROPEAN OR INDIAN DIET.
+RECENTLY THERE WAS SOME REFERENCE IN THE PRESS TO A DIET OF STEAK BY A PARTICULAR PRISONER AND COMMENTS THAT HE HAD PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT. SUCH COMMENTS ARE NOT ONLY RUBBISH BUT THEY TEND TO CAST DOUBT ON THE INTEGRITY OF THE PRISON SERVICE WITHOUT ANY JUSTIFICAT- ION WHATSOEVER.+
AS TO THE MYTH THAT PRISONS ARE RUN BY TRIADS, MR. GARNER SAID: +NOW NO ONE IN THE PRISON SERVICE WILL DENY THAT WE HAVE JUST ABOUT EVERY TRIAD SOCIETY AND GANG YOU CAN FIND REPRESENTED WITHIN THE PRISONER POPULATION. WE ALSO HAVE MANY OFFICE BEARERS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS AND MANY ORDINARY MEMBERS WHO WERE VERY ACTIVE PRIOR TO ADMISSION.
+THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT IF YOU HAVE SUCH A MOTLEY ASSORTMENT AS THIS AND INDEED IN 1976 MORE THAN 67 PER CENT CONFESSED TO BEING TRIAD MEMBERS ON ADMISSION (WE BELIEVE THE FIGURE TO BE NEARER 100 PER CENT), WE HAVE OBVIOUSLY ALL THE INGREDIENTS AVAILABLE FOR TRIAD ACTIVITY AND WE KNOW THAT SOME MAY TRY; HOWEVER, THOSE THAT TRY ARE PUNISHED AND PART OF THE PUNISHMENT IS SEGREGATION,
+ IN FACT, MANY KNOWN OFFICE BEARERS ON ADMISSION TO PRISON ARE SEGREGATED FOR THE GOOD OF THE PRISONER POPULATION SO THAT IT WILL PREVENT JUST THIS SORT OF THING HAPPENING,+
MR. GARNER SAID ACTIVE STEPS ARE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT TRIAD ACTIVITY DOES NOT GO ON IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS. IT IS THE STAFF THAT RUN THE PRISONS AND OTHER PENAL INSTITUTIONS, LET US MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT THAT. +
ON OTHER MATTERS, MR. SARMER SAID THAT IT WAS PROBABLY TRUE TO SAY THAT THE PUBLIC I' NE KONG KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT GOES ON
HER COUNTRIES AS THE DEPARTMENT CECRECY,
IN PRISONS HERE THERE CAN.
DOES NOT MAINTAIN A WALL