THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1986
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MOST GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS TENDED TO TAKE A LEGALISTIC APPROACH IN THEIR ASSESSMENT AND DREW CONCLUSIONS STRICTLY ON THE STRENGTH OF MATERIAL EVIDENCE, HE SAID.
HE URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO ADOPT A LESS LEGALISTIC AND A MORE COMMON SENSE APPROACH IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST CRIME AMONG THE STUDENT POPULATION IN ORDER TO FREE THEM FROM CRIMINAL AND TRIAD CONTAMINATION.
+ THE IMPLICATIONS OF OUR STUDENTS' ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AND UNDERTAKINGS SHOULD WARRANT AS MUCH GOVERNMENT ATTENTION AND INTERVENTION AS TRIAD MEMBERSHIP BACKED UP BY EVIDENCE,+ HE SAID.
DR HO ALSO SAID THAT THERE WAS AN UPWARD TREND IN SUSPECTED INVOLVEMENT IN TRIAD-RELATED ACTIVITIES AMONG STUDENTS AGED BETWEEN 13 AND 17, RISING FROM 250 TO 340 PER 100 000 STUDENTS, WHICH REPRESENTED A 36 PER CENT INCREASE.
HE SAID IT WAS RATHER DISTURBING TO LEARN THAT SECOND AND THIRD FORMERS WERE MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO TRIAD AFFILIATION, ESPECIALLY THOSE STUDYING IN COMMERCIALLY OPERATED SCHOOLS.
DR HO NOTED THAT SOME 50 SCHOOLS IN KOWLOON WERE IDENTIFIED AS HAVING BEEN PENETRATED BY MEMBERS FROM AT LEAST ONE TRIAD SOCIETY.
IN ONE SCHOOL, HE SAID, SIX SEPARATE TRIAD GANGS WERE REPORTED TO BE ACTIVE.
HE SAID THE REGIONAL CRIME PREVENTION UNIT OF THE POLICE WHEN INVESTIGATING THE MURDER OF A STUDENT IN KOWLOON, DISCOVERED IN INTERVIEWS THAT OUT OF SOME 70 STUDENTS FROM THE TWO SCHOOLS INVOLVED 40 HAD AFFILIATION TO VARIOUS TRIAD SOCIETIES.
WHILE NO DEFINITE CONCLUSIONS COULD BE DRAWN FROM CURRENT RESEARCH THAT TRIADS HAD INFILTRATED HONG KONG'S SCHOOLS, DR HO SAID STUDENTS, IN PARTICULAR JUNIOR FORM STUDENTS, HAD BEEN INSIDIOUSLY EXPOSED TO THE INFLUENCE OF UNSCRUPULOUS AND CRIMINAL ELEMENTS.
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HE SUGGESTED THAT THE WHOLE STRUCTURE OF YOUTH GANGS. STREET GANGS, TRIAD GANGS AND OTHER CRIMINAL GANGS SHOULD BE WORKED OUT BECAUSE THESE DIFFERENT GANGS WERE INTERLOCKING THROUGH OVERLAPPING MEMBERSHIP IN TWO OR MORE GROUPS.
ON THE PROBLEM OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, DR HO SAID
THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONTINUE TO HELP BY TAKING THE LEAD AGAIN IN ACCEPTING MORE REFUGEES FROM HONG KONG.
THE INTERNATIONAL
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