Five illegally imported armoured personnel carriers seized in Hong Kong in 2000 are being commissioned for a different kind of mission - to amuse and educate drug addicts and teenagers.
Two of the Soviet-made military vehicles will be displayed at a drug treatment centre, one at a youth camp and two will go on public display, according to a Customs officer.
The vehicles will be disarmed and their mechanical parts disabled before they are assigned their respective duties over the next four to six months.
Andrew Wong Ching-wai, head of Customs' trade controls, said putting the armoured cars to good use was a cheaper alternative. Customs had planned to dismantle and dump the 10-metric-tonne behemoths in landfills, but it would have cost $600,000 each.
'It's cost saving, definitely. They will take care of the transfer costs as well,' he said, referring to the government departments and a youth group that will take over 'command' of the vehicles, which are being stored at the old Kai Tak airport.
Two of the five vehicles will be displayed at the Sai Kung Outdoor Recreational Centre and Lei Yue Mun Park, both run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
Two will be taken to the Hei Ling Chau drug treatment centre, off Lantau, run by the Correctional Services Department, which has an educational programme allowing troubled teenagers to interact with drug addicts.