 Hong
Kong's first prison -- Victoria Prison will be redeveloped into
a tourist attraction after decommissioning, Secretary for Security
Ambrose Lee said Sunday.
Speaking at the decommissioning ceremony, Lee said every bit of
the prison will be nostalgically remembered by the public and become
part of the collective memory among the members of the Correctional
Services.
Victoria Prison, a landmark structure built in 1841, has seen
Hong Kong's 160 odd years of development. Together with the
adjoining Central Police Station and the Central Magistracy, it was
the center of Hong Kong's criminal justice system in the early
years.
The prison was used to accommodate felons such as pirates and
bandits during the early years. When the Japanese army occupied Hong
Kong during the Second World War, most of its building were
destroyed. After the end of the war, the cluster of buildings were
repaired and reopened as a prison.
"The ever changing functions of Victoria Prison are a testimony
to the development of Hong Kong and its correctional services," Lee
said.
With the closure of the old institution, new and well-equipped
institutions are commissioned one after another. The Castle Peak Bay
Immigration Center which came into operation last August, and Lai
Chi Kok Correctional Institution which will become operational in
July, will take the place of Victoria Prison, Lee said.
As part of the decommissioning program, Victoria Prison was
opened to the public Saturday, which attracted over 10,000 visitors.
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