Bamboo Union
The United Bamboo Gang (Chinese: 竹聯幫; pinyin: Zhūliánbāng) is the largest of Taiwan's three main Triads.[1][2][3] They are reported to have roughly 10,000 members.[1][3][4] The membership consists largely of waishengren (Mainland Chinese) and has close ties to the Kuomintang; they are said to be motivated as much by political ideology as by profit.[5] The gang gained global notoriety when it became directly involved in politics in the early 1980s; alleged mob boss and his accomplices Tung Kuei-sen and Wu Tun murdered writer Henry Liu in California in 1984. Chen Chi-li was arrested in Taiwan, tried, and convicted; however, his life sentence was commuted after seven years, at which point he fled to Cambodia, where he lived until his death.[6] The incident was later portrayed in the 2009 American political thriller film Formosa Betrayed,[7] produced by Will Tiao.[8]
Historical leadership
Boss (official and acting)
- 1956–? — Chao Ning
- 1965-1972 — "Master Yang" Yang Chien-ping
- 1968-1972 — "Dry Duck" Chen Chi-li
- Acting 1972-1975 — "White Wolf" Chang An-lo
- 1972-1976 — "King Chou" Chou Jung
- 1976-1995 — "King Duck" Chen Chi-li
- 1995-1999 — "Yao Yao" Huang Shao-tsen
- Acting 2001-2007 — "King Chao" Chao Erh-wen
- Acting 2002-2006 — "Zhong Kui" Li Tsung-kuei
- Acting 2006-2009 — "Monkey King" Hu Tai-fu
- 2010-present — "Yao Yao" Huang Shao-tsen
See also
- Chang An-lo
- Criminal tattoos
- List of Chinese criminal organizations
- Organized crime
- Russian mafia
- Tong
- Triads
- Yakuza
- 14k
- Tiandihui
- Green Gang
- Tung Kuei-sen
- Chen Chi-li
References
- 1 2 Bishop, Mac William (June 4, 2005). "Taiwan's gangs go global". Asia Times. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ↑ Simon, Sheldon W. (August 21, 2001). The Many Faces of Asian Security. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 204. ISBN 9781461608387.
- 1 2 Kaplan, David E.; Dubro, Alec (May 20, 2012). Yakuza. University of California Press. pp. 260–261. ISBN 9780520953819.
- ↑ "The List: The World's Most Dangerous Gangs", Foreign Policy, 2008-05-08, retrieved 2010-04-21
- ↑ Chang, Rich (2005-05-08), "Police begin probe into Bamboo Union after airport clash", Taipei Times, retrieved 2010-04-21
- ↑ O'Neill, Mark (2007-10-24). "King Duck Goes to His Taiwanese Reward". Asia Sentinel. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ↑ Zhao, Xiaojian; Park, Edward J.W. (November 30, 2013). Asian Americans: An Encyclopedia of Social, Cultural, Economic, and Political History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781598842401.
- ↑ Adams, Jonathan (February 28, 2010). "Hollywood highlights Taiwan's "White Terror"". Global Post. Retrieved April 5, 2014.