Watch your step
You MAY BE familiar with this scenario: two groups of students start an argument which progresses into a fight in front of the school gate. Amid the chaos, someone calls his Big Brother for help and a bunch of burly men appear.
It may sound like a scene from a Hong Kong gangster movie, but last week in a Ho Man Tin school, it happened for real.
Recent incidents in schools have raised concern about the spread of violence on campus.
Police statistics show there has been more than 1,500 assault cases involving young people aged below 21 over the past two years.
The style of the fights has alerted teachers and parents to triad infiltration.
While claims about triad links by students are mostly bluffs, youngsters with low awareness are easy prey for gangsters.
'Some of my former classmates had links with triads. They targeted the junior form students. They bought them snacks or gave them cigarettes,' said Jason Wong, a 17-year-old computer student of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi).
The glorification of triads by the media has certainly affected teenagers.
'Hit films, such as Election and the Teddy Boy series, portray triad members as heroes. Instead of unscrupulous gangsters who care only about money and turf, teens think that triad members are heroes with principles,' said Chung Kim-wah, assistant professor of applied social sciences at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Teenagers who quit school and don't have a job also fall prey to triad influence.
'I quit after Form Three. I've been out of work for half a year. I hang around in parks all day and the triads approached me a few months ago,' said Ah Wai, a 17-year-old who lives in Yuen Long.
'I never have to pay when I eat with them. We often walk in a big group. It's cool when people give us fearful glances,' he said.
While teenagers may find it cool, the excitement is usually short-lived as triad members show their true selves and make demands on the new recruits.
'When there are fights, I'm be summoned to help my 'brothers'. I've never actually thrown a punch. I'm just there to make our gang look stronger,' said Ah Hung, a 15-year-old who has been jobless since he quit school last month.
Of the 'duties', attending strangers' funerals was the biggest shock.
'When relatives of Big Brother die, we have to attend their funeral. I don't even know who's in the coffin. The whole thing is silly and a waste of time,' said Ah Wai.
Although Ah Wai and Ah Hung are increasingly fed up with their 'duties', they say it's hard to break free.
'They also live in Yuen Long. They go to the same places I go to. When they see me, they always talk to me. I can't stay home all day. When I go to the parks or video-game centres, they're always there,' said Ah Hung.
