School needs to ban children from playing

Lantau International School, a unique international village school on south Lantau, has earned another distinction. It seems it has become the first school in Hong Kong to be served with a noise abatement notice by the Environmental Protection Department on account of the sound its kids make during breaks.


This happened soon after the growing school finally opened new premises in a renovated, derelict hotel at Pui O last month. That project faced peevish opposition on the part of certain sons of the local soil. EPD inspectors turned up and positioned their microphone right outside. They waited for some time before recording any noise, but sure enough, lunchtime came around, the children came out and the valiant EPD officials registered 62 decibels.

According to EPD guidelines, 60 decibels (a level of noise created by normal conversation) is the maximum level allowed in Chinese villages (handy piece of info for when my neighbours have a chat across their rooftops again).



The department slapped the school with the abatement notice and a fine exceeding HK$100,000 (which works out as more than HK$50,000 per decibel).

Welcome to Hong Kong, the oasis of tranquility.

I swear last time I looked at this thread, there were replies.. am I going mad, Ed??

I didnt delete anything (or maybe I am going mad...)

We can go mad together.. bizarre....