Having been at Christian Zheng Sheng College for six months, 16-year-old Luk Wai-lim (pictured below) has still not got used to the living conditions in the remote Chi Ma Wan Peninsula on Lantau Island.
'There are many mosquitoes and it's very crowded here. We're not allowed to watch TV, use computers or listen to songs besides psalms,' said Wai-lim, who was convicted of drug trafficking six months ago. But he said the loss of freedom was a reasonable price to pay for his delinquent past.
'We have to follow a strict regimen here. I never really did housework at home. Now, I have to do a lot, like washing the latrines and cooking.'
The allocation of maintenance work to the students is part of the rehabilitation programme designed by the school.
'They have to do everything from repair work to cleaning the premises,' said principal Chan Siu-cheuk.
Demonstrating how to clean the resident mastiff, Sha Sha, 16-year-old Ip Chun-to (pictured right) said his isolated existence here was a welcome break from his drug-addled past.
'I joined the triads when I was 12. I got my tattoo at 14. Now, I have quit smoking and taking drugs.
