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The Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum today (February 22) welcomed its 400,000th visitor after opening for over five years.
He is Mr Watt Ka-wai, a teacher from the Pegasus Philip Wong Kin Hang Christian Primary School cum Junior Secondary School. When Mr Watt and his group of Primary Four pupils stepped into the museum, they were greeted with applause by museum staff.
The Principal of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) Staff Training Institute, Mr Kan Chi-keung, presented a souvenir to Mr Watt for being the 400,000th visitor to the museum.
He and his pupils were then given a guided tour by the Museum Coordinator, Mr Ng Chiu-kok, and voluntary docent, Mr Lau Chun-ming.
At the end of his tour of the museum, Mr Watt said: " I am much impressed by the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum which fully shows the evolution of correctional services in Hong Kong. Pupils learned about the punishment for committing crime as well as offendersˇ¦ rehabilitation process. All these have a positive impact on their growth."
"Everything shown in the museum is so new to me, it is really interesting to go in a cell with a history of over a hundred years," one of the pupils, Miss Lam Man-ting, said.
"The museum has become a popular destination in Hong Kong for local residents and tourists," Mr Kan told the visitors.
"Being a bridge between the CSD and the public, the museum provides a chance for the public to better understand the evolution of Hong Kong's correctional services, and at the same time appeals for society's acceptance of offender rehabilitation," he added.
Situated next to the CSD Staff Training Institute on Tung Tau Wan Road, Stanley, the museum was opened on November 1, 2002. The main building has nine galleries with a mock gallows and two mock cells, as well as a collection of some 600 exhibits including historical documents and photographs depicting the 160-year history of the Hong Kong penal system. A mock guard tower on top of the premises highlights the theme of the museum.
Its annex, with an introduction to the department's correctional and rehabilitative programmes, also displays products made by prisoners. A 200-square-metre platform in front of the museum commands the scenery of Hong Kongˇ¦s beautiful Tai Tam Bay.
To strengthen the museum's services, free audio guide equipment in English, Cantonese and Putonghua will be installed soon.
The museum is open to the public from 10am to 5pm daily except Mondays and public holidays. Admission is free. Group visitors are advised to book in advance to arrange guided tours. Enquiries can be made by telephone 2147 3199 or fax 2813 0267.
The museum is accessible by bus routes 6, 6X, 63, 73, 260 and 973 as well as green minibus routes 40 and 52.
Ends/Friday, February 22, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:01
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