Talkback

Is the Tseung Kwan O eco-village a good idea?

It is great to hear that the Professional Green Building Council has a plan to turn a former landfill in Tseung Kwan O into an eco-village.

Transforming a landfill into an eco-village not only can help enhance the reputation of Hong Kong in its environmental image, but has many other advantages.

Obviously, it can give Hong Kong people an opportunity to know more about protection of the environment. Through the facilities and exhibitions in the village, young people can learn how to treasure our resources and energy.

Besides that, it can help to improve the air quality in Tseung Kwan O - the bad smell of the landfill has bothered residents for a long time. People often have to close the windows and have the air conditioner on to avoid the smell coming from the landfill.

Therefore the Tseung Kwan O eco-village is definitely a good idea for all Hong Kong people, and especially for Tseung Kwan O's residents.

Kwok Hon-lam, Kwai Chung

Should the drug-rehab school get the Mui Wo premises?

Those who have made a mistake in life should get a second chance if they are determined to change. This is an opportunity to show our support.

It is not absurd that Mui Wo residents want to use the abandoned New Territories Heung Yee Kuk Southern District Secondary School site to save travelling time of four hours for their children. Others may ask why villagers have been so angry at the Christian Zheng Sheng College's plans but did not show the same amount of opposition when the now-vacant Mui Wo school was closed.

If our society is not showing its support for the rehabilitation of students, it is an ignorant act. All people have made mistakes and most people are given an opportunity to correct them.

It would also be a failure of the government in promoting the acceptance of those who have been released from prison or former drug addicts willing to change.

Thus the drug-rehabilitation school deserves to move into the Mui Wo premises, as an example for the city. We should show our support to these students.

Alton Ma Choi-cheung, Chai Wan

I have read with amusement how hypocritical people in Hong Kong can be. The public and the media were so quick to criticise Mui Wo's residents, and yet none of these same people has actually volunteered their own district, or even volunteered to rally their community to invite the drug-rehab school to their district.

The worst of all the letters was the one from Jeff Bell of Discovery Bay. He reasoned that Mui Wo has a concrete-mixing plant, a rubbish pick-up point and a sewage-treatment plant, so why complain about a drug-rehabilitation school? Mr Bell further rationalised that 'at least the centre is tucked away at the back ... it may even improve Mui Wo's image as a caring group of residents'.

No wonder Mui Wo residents are angry. So far, the government hasn't really responded as to why Mui Wo doesn't have a school for its community, and why children have to travel so far to attend school.

What has the government done for the Mui Wo community? Why not put the rehabilitation school in a district where there are too many schools, such as Kowloon Tong? Perhaps Mr Bell should head a campaign to invite the rehabilitation school to Discovery Bay.

Hui Man-zi, Tsim Sha Tsui

Just looking at those crying students of Christian Zheng Sheng College on the TV made me realise they are no different from students at a local school. They made a mistake, and now they are learning to be better people under the guidance of a group of selfless teachers.

Having only a few teenage drug abusers in a local school is a headache to the principal and the teaching staff, yet the college teachers face a whole bunch of teenagers with a record of drug abuse. What have the government and the public done to help or show support?

The concerns of Mui Wo residents are understood, but what disturbs me most is the lukewarm attitude of the government. Even those college students are brave enough to stand up and fight for what they want; shouldn't the government do something to help?

The students have demonstrated to all the people of Hong Kong that our next generation is not as bad as what we might fear as long as they are offered a chance to repent and start a new life.

Chris Goh, Sham Tseng

What do you think of our public toilets?

The facilities of public toilets are satisfactory for me, since most of them are equipped with a workable flushing device. Soap dispensers are also provided for us to wash our hands thoroughly. We can also find toilet paper and electric hand dryers inside. It is a good practice for the government to install hand sanitisers in public toilets, as people are more aware of their cleanliness nowadays, especially with the spread of swine flu. Generally the standard of public toilets has improved a lot compared with the standard many years ago. However, there is still room for improvement, such as increasing the number of staff to clean toilets more frequently, especially for those in busy districts, for example Mong Kok.

Ventilation should be improved, as it can reduce the concentration of bad smells and maintain more air flow to prevent the accumulation of the germs.

R. Hau, Kowloon Bay