How Viet riot disrupted exams

I am sorry to tell my Vietnamese friends that what your countrymen did on May 10 at the Whitehead Detention Centre disappointed me deeply.

That day, the Vietnamese boat people at the detention centre burned several camps and administrative buildings and destroyed lots of vehicles. These incidents were only the first step of their riot.

Next, they used weapons they had made to stab Correctional Services Department officers, and about 200 inmates escaped through broken fences as a result of the chaos.

Did you realise that these violent acts carried out by your compatriots disrupted the normally peaceful existence of the Hong Kong people living in Ma On Shan? In order to apprehend the escaped boat people, the police had to set up road-blocks in the area, causing disruption and delays for people going to work and to school.

To me, the HKCEE candidates in Ma On Shan were the most unfortunate victims. Most of them had to sit their English Syllabus B listening exam in other districts, such as Tai Po. The questions were broadcast through RTHK 4 at 10 am. However, traffic jams forced nearly 500 candidates to take the exam at a temporary centre at Ma On Shan.

I was a Form Five student last year, and I fully understand the worries of these students. English is the most important subject in the HKCEE, since the results can affect a student's future.

Hong Kong is the most tolerant place when it comes to tackling the problem of Vietnamese boat people. Other countries, such as the United States and Australia, do not let boat people even step on their land. These countries only give the boat people provisions and then force them back on the high seas.