Triad (underground society)

Triad (simplified Chinese: 三合会; traditional Chinese: 三合會; pinyin: Sānhéhuì; literally "Triad Society") is a term used to describe many branches of Chinese criminal organizations based in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, and also in countries with significant Chinese populations, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United States and Canada.

Triad activities include crimes such as Arson, assault, bank fraud, bombings, bookmaking, bribery, car bombings, car theft, cheque fraud, Cell phone fraud, chop shop, contract killing, cottaging, Counterfeit money, drive by shooting, drug trafficking, extortion, Fencing, home invasions, Hostage taking, Human trafficking, Identity document forgery, identity fraud, identity theft, Illegal emigration, illegal gambling, illegal immigration, interstate and foreign transport of stolen property, kidnapping, loan sharking, Mail fraud, Manslaughter, Match fixing, money laundering, murder, passport fraud, people smuggling, police corruption, Political corruption, prostitution, Robbery, Software Piracy, trafficking in stolen cars and car parts, Visa fraud, Welfare fraud, and other forms of racketeering. In the present day, major sources of triad incomes include counterfeiting of copyrighted and trademarked goods, such as clothing, computer software, watches, handbags, pirated music CDs and film VCDs/DVDs. Triads are also known to trade in animal parts of endangered species, such as sharks, as well as smuggling tobacco and alcohol products.

Contents

History

Precursors

The earliest triads started as resistance/rebel forces who opposed Manchu rule in China during the Qing Dynasty, as the Manchurians were regarded as foreign invaders in the predominant Han Chinese society of China then. In the 1760s, the Heaven and Earth Society (天地會) was founded, with its objective to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and restore Han Chinese rule in China. As the society's influence spread throughout China, it branched into several smaller groups with different names, one of which was the Three Harmonies Society (三合會). These societies adopted the triangle as their emblem, usually accompanied by decorative images of swords or portraits of Guan Yu. The term "triad" was first coined by British authorities in colonial Hong Kong, as a reference to the triads' use of triangular imagery. Some triad organizations also trace their roots to the revolutionary movement called White Lotus Society.

Post-imperial developments

Following the fall of the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and the collapse of imperial rule in China, the Hong Society's primary objective, to overthrow the Manchu rulers, was considered achieved. A consequence of this "victory" was that the society had lost its motivation for survival, compounded by the fact that some rebels had missed the opportunity to participate in the actual uprising, rendering most of them angry and depressed. As the rebels were unable to revert back to their lives as ordinary citizens, after having spent years in grave danger and extreme violence as outlaws, many of them reunited to form criminal organizations.

Migration to Hong Kong

When the Chinese Communist Party came to power in 1949 in the Mainland, law enforcement became stricter and tough governmental crackdown on criminal organizations forced the triads to migrate to Hong Kong, then a British colony. It was estimated that in the 1950s, there were about 300,000 triad members in Hong Kong.[1] By 1951, there were nine main triads operating in Hong Kong and they had divided the land according to their ethnic groups and geographical locations, with each triad in charge of a region. The nine triads were Wo Hop To, Wo, Rung, Tung, Chuen, Shing, Sun Yee On, 14K and Luen. Each of them had its own headquarters, its sub-societies and public covers. After the 1956 riots, the Hong Kong government introduced stricter law enforcement and triads became less active.

Recent developments

As the triads' power increases, they remain on low-profile but still engage in criminal activities. The scale of triad membership is difficult even for its leaders to ascertain. While some small triads have only about 50 members, the larger ones may have more than 500,000. Some of the more well-known triads in Hong Kong include Wo Hop To, Sun Yee On, Wo Shing Wo and 14K.

Triads have been engaging in counterfeiting since the 1880s. Between the 1960s and 1970s, the triads were involved in counterfeiting Chinese currency, often so of the Hong Kong 50-cent piece. In the same decade, the gangs were also involved in copying books, usually expensive ones, and selling them in the black market. As new technology is introduced and the average person's standard of living improves, the triads have progressed to producing counterfeit goods such as watches, film VCDs/DVDs and designer apparel such as clothing and handbags.[2]

The actual source of funding for triads in the meantime, however, comes from computers. The triads are effective in smuggling pornographic materials and have cornered the market when it comes to computer software piracy. They have increased their income by employing some skilled computer technicians.[3]

Triad organizational structure

Traditional triad organizational structure.

Some Hong Kong triads have their own armed forces like international drug cartels, maintaining and protecting vital resources such as stockpiles of cash, drug products and ammunition. Like the Mafia, triads usually limit violence to within their own community rather than on the public.

There is no leading figure in the Hong Kong triads to control all other members in illegal activities via a hierarchy structure. Instead, they are split into several independent groups and may not function under an absolute and strict dominion-and-compliance plan. For example, the King Yee is a subsidiary branch of Sun Yee On, but members of King Yee do not take orders from their "superiors". The actual power of the triads lies at the ground level of the hierarchy. Usually, a triad "official" ("Red Pole") leads a group of 15 active members (aka "soldiers") and engages in aggressive activities on their "turf". A leader with apparent hegemony may not be able to command other leaders and internal conflict may arise when the groups fight each other to seize greater benefits.

Triads also use numeric codes to distinguish between ranks and positions within the gang. For example, "426" refers to "fighter" while "49" denotes a rank-and-file member. "489" refers to the "mountain master" while 438 is used for the "deputy mountain master", 415 for "white paper fan" and 432 for the "straw sandal". "25" refers to an undercover law enforcement agent or spy from another triad, and has become popularly used in Hong Kong as a slang for "traitor".

As the Hong Kong economy flourishes, triads barely provide "satisfying" social and pecuniary conditions to foster absolute loyalty among its members. One consequence of this is that the current triad structure has become more flexible; the customary eight-ranking system has changed into a four-ranks one, as illustrated in the diagram below. The sophisticated initiation ritual for new members has been simplified into a common practice of "hanging the Blue Lantern", an oral agreement (like a spoken oath) with little formality. The degree of autocracy within the triad has also decreased as members have higher tendency to prioritize their personal interests, with greater freedom in switching from one group to another without showing regard for the traditional founding principles.

Initiation

Triad members are subject to initiation ceremonies just like the Italian Mafia or the Japanese Yakuza. A typical ceremony takes place at an altar dedicated to Guan Yu, with incense and an animal sacrifice, usually a chicken, pig or goat. After drinking a mixture of wine and blood of the animal or the candidate, the member will pass beneath an arch of swords while reciting the triad's oaths. The paper on which the oaths are written will be burnt on the altar to confirm the member's obligation to perform his duties to the gods. Three fingers on the left hand will be raised as a binding gesture.[4]

Overseas activities

Triads are also active in other regions with significant overseas Chinese populations, apart from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Triads are known to be operating in countries such as the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K., Germany and France. They are often involved in helping immigrants enter countries illegally.

Tongs

Tongs are similar to triads except that they originated among early immigrant Chinatown communities independently, rather than as extensions of modern triads. The first Tongs formed in the second half of the 19th century among the more marginalized members of early immigrant Chinese American communities for mutual support and protection from nativists. These Tongs modeled themselves on triads, but they were established without clear political motives, yet they become involved in criminal activities such as extortion, illegal gambling, human trafficking, murder and prostitution.[5] In recent years, some Tongs have reformed to eliminate their criminal elements and have become civic-minded organizations.

Triad activities

Gang fights

Like any typical criminal organization, the triads usually settle their disputes with violent means. Unsuccessful financial deals between two triads may be resolved in street fights. For example, the 14K Triad in Macau used car bombs, drive-by shootings and 100 knives attacks in a battle with another triad spawned from a workers' union.

Organized crime

Present-day triads have developed into more business-like corporations. The interaction and integration of power among triads from the Mainland, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong, are often not to evade counter-operations from local authorities, but rather, to attain business benefits. The largest and most business-oriented market for the triads is in the Chinese mainland at present. Triads head for any profitable opportunity and some Hong Kong triads have switched to making investments in the mainland, either for legal reasons or exploit the legitimacy of these businesses for other illegal purposes.

Triad countermeasures in Hong Kong

Law enforcement means

The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) is a division within the Hong Kong Police Force that is responsible for triad countermeasures. The OCTB and Criminal Intelligence Bureau work together with the Narcotics Bureau and Commercial Crime Bureau to process data and information collected by their operation units to counter triad leaders. Other departments involved in countering triad activities include Customs and Excise Department, Immigration Department and ICAC. They cooperate with the police to impede triads' expansions and other organized gangs.

According to the Security Bureau, there is no current evidence to indicate any deterioration of the triad problem in Hong Kong. For ten years (1993–2002), the proportion of crimes related to triad activities has remained fairly steady at about 3.8%, and at 2.7% for the first nine months in 2003. The bureau has also added more than 240 anti-triad specialist posts since 1996 to strengthen the anti-triad squad of the police force.

Legal measures

Primary laws in Hong Kong addressing the triad problem are the Societies Ordinance and the Organized & Serious Crimes Ordinance. The former was enacted in 1949 to outlaw triads in Hong Kong. It stipulates that any person convicted of professing or claiming to be an office bearer or managing or assisting in the management of a triad can be fined up to HK$1 million and a prison term of up to 15 years. Being a member of a triad is already an offence punishable by fines ranging from HK$100,000 to HK$250,000 and three to seven years imprisonment. The latter, was enacted in Hong Kong in 1994, and aims to provide the police with special investigative powers, to provide heavier penalties for organized crime activities and to authorize the courts to confiscate the proceeds of such crimes.

Other methods

The government has also introduced a comprehensive publicity programme to increase awareness about triads in the public. For example, the Junior Police Call, uses networks to publicize anti-triad messages, while the Crime Prevention Bureau is keeping in contact with local businesses and encouraging them to report triad activities. The Hong Kong police force also cooperates with foreign law enforcement agencies specializing in dealing with organized crime, especially regions with significant Chinese populations. The Doan Family Protection Agency is one of such organizations, spread throughout the world to combat triads on an international scale. The Witness Protection Unit was also established in 1995 to augment witness security, in order to encourage the public to report triad activities. In 2000, the Witness Protection Ordinance was enacted and began operating on 9 November to legalize the Witness Protection Programme.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hong Kong's T-Shirt Contest, TIME, November 28, 2007
  2. ↑ M. Booth, 'The Dragon Syndicates; The Global Phenomenon of the Triads', Doubleday-Great Britain 1999, pp 386-400.
  3. ↑ Gertz, Bill, "Organized-crime triads targeted", The Washington Times, Friday, April 30, 2010
  4. ↑ [1]
  5. ↑ [2]

Further reading

External links

Organized crime groups in Asia
National groups
Chinese Triad  • Indian mafia  • Japanese Yakuza  • Kkangpae (South Korea)  • Tamurats (Turkey)