People’s Liberation Army camp in Hong Kong has double the number of teen participants
About 500 students are getting a taste of life in the military despite tensions with mainland China; some participants miss their mobile phones
About twice as many Hong Kong youngsters are taking part in the People’s Liberation Army summer camp this year than last, despite heightened tensions with the mainland.
The students, ranging from Secondary Three to Five and aged between 15 and 18, began their intensive training at San Wai Barracks near Fanling on Sunday.
The camp, which runs for 15 days and has five males for every four females, held its opening ceremony on Monday.
A spokesman for the garrison said about 600 teenagers applied to join the camp, which is running for its 12th year, and some 500 were successful. That compared to 260 last year.
He said the increased number of places this year was down to the enthusiastic response in 2015.
When asked whether they feared being brainwashed, Nelson Lin Yau-chun, 16, and Cherry Leung Kwan-yin, 17, said such elements were not present in training and everybody had their own way of thinking.
On the tensions between Hong Kong and the mainland, Leung said she felt there should be a “harmonious” relationship between the two, and they should try to understand each other. Lin said the camp was not the place to discuss such matters.
Asked about what she thought of camp life, Leung said she was not used to having only five minutes to wash up and get things ready. With a wake-up time of 6am and lights out at 10pm, Lin said he was not used to such hours and missed his mobile phone.
The pair will take part in marching drills and military sing-songs and attend talks related to moral education.
Senior colonel Liao Zhengrong, deputy commander of the PLA Hong Kong Garrison, said more than 2,000 youngsters had attended camp over the years.
Christopher Liu Kwun-shing, honorary chairman of the camp, said youngsters would develop greater determination, strength, cooperation and communication skills.
“Even though you have no access to the internet and mobile phones during the duration of the camp, your lives will be fulfilling,” he told them.
