Two Hong Kong YouTubers have been charged with trespassing into two abandoned correctional facilities on Lantau Island.

Kate Lam and Tam Wai-kin
Hong Kong YouTubers Kate Lam and Tam Wai-kin. Screenshot: KATE林樂儀, via YouTube.

Kate Lam, 26 and Tam Wai-kin, 27 appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. They stand accused of trespassing into properties under the jurisdiction or management of public authorities, The Witness reported.

abandoned Chi Ma Wan correctional facility
The now-abandoned Chi Ma Wan correctional facility on Lantau Island. File photo: HKFP.

The court heard that the two entered the Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution and Chi Sun Correctional Institution, which is under the Correctional Services Department’s management, on February 17 this year.

The two facilities, formerly a camp for Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s and later transformed into drug addiction treatment centre, are no longer in operation. Other law enforcement departments occasionally use the facilities to conduct training and drills, local media reported.

Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution
Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution. Photo: Leung Yiu Chung, via Facebook.

The facilities are located in Chi Ma Wan, a remote bay in southeastern Lantau Island.

According to local media outlets, Lam and Tam shot a YouTube video of themselves entering the facilities and flying a drone. The video, which was uploaded on Lam’s channel, is no longer available.

The court heard on Tuesday that the clip had already been taken down.

abandoned Chi Ma Wan correctional facility
The now-abandoned Chi Ma Wan correctional facility on Lantau Island. File photo: HKFP.

Lam’s channel has around 88,500 followers, and consists of videos of her and Tam hiking, camping and exploring Hong Kong’s outdoors.

Principal Magistrate Peter Law adjourned the case to October 24. The two were released on a bail of HK$500.

According to the Summary Offences Ordinance, those convicted of trespassing face a penalty of up to three months of imprisonment.

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Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong.