TNAG-0487-FCO40-552-Review-of-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 98

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6.

Despite his having a rather nice income, he had rendered only

irregular remittance to his relatives in China as they were more or less

self-supporting.

7.

The Prisoner, on the other. hand, could make no saving for himself

because he spent most of his income on narcotic drugs, both opium and

heroin.

Even, sometimes he had to approach his distant uncle or his clans-

man Mr. LIU Chung for some petty cash. Though disappointed with his conduct,

his distant uncle and Mr. LIU seldom declined his request of assistance.

Indeed, as the Prisoner regretfully said, he should have approached them

for assistance instead of joining a friend to commit the robbery in which

a life was aken.

8.

I

In respect of his deep-rooted drug addiction, he claimed that

he had for more than once successfully refrained himself from the habit

by taking in decreasing amount of "opium water". However, every time he

relapsed shortly afterwards because of his weak character and the relatively

easy access of narcotic drugs in Hong Kong. Although he knew about the

addiction treatment facilities in the Shek Kyu Chau Addiction Treatment

Centre provided by thelsong Kong Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation

of Drug Addic's, a well-established voluntary welfare agency in Hong Kong,

he had so far made no effort to seek for such withdrawal assistance because,

as he said, of its complicated application procedure which usually consisted

of such steps as registration, medical examination rak motivation ‘assess-

ment interviews. A successful applicant usually would be admitted to the

treatment centre within three months' time depending on the availability

of vacancies in the treatment centre. However, it must be clarified that

successful rehabilitation of a drug addict in Shek Kwu Chau Addiction

Treatment Centre depends very much on the motivation and determination

of the patient himself.

Re

(rskfig Kar-yan) Probation Officer

5.2.1974.