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SCMP Reporter

A NEW study has revealed a disturbing profile of today's teenage triads.

  Aged between 13 and 16, around 65 per cent of them dye their hair, have tattoos and smoke. A third of them are female.

  And more worrying, they can often be academically bright. Many of them hang out in churches, libraries and youth centres, according to the new survey carried out in Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi secondary schools.

  The special survey to determine the extent of triad influence in secondary schools was answered by nearly 7,500 students.

  Most of the respondents who claimed they were triads said they had become triad members to seek protection from rival gangs and fighting in schools.

    Dr Alex Fung Chi-wah, director of the research group studying the survey results, would not reveal how many of the respondents belonged to gangs but he pointed out that the results could help ''validate or invalidate misconceptions and grasp new implications''.

    ''Based on the survey, we can no longer say that only academically poor students are related to the triads. It can be all students.''   The survey found that eight per cent claiming to be triad members were in the ''excellent student'' category while only 10 per cent who were regarded as ''poor students''.

  With the majority of all respondents living in public housing, Dr Fung also said that student triads did also,     with about nine per cent of gang members coming from single parent families.



Revealed: the new face of teenage triads