Jan 07 2007
HONG KONG POLICE DETAIN 101 SUSPECTED GANGSTERS
Hong Kong police have detained 101 alleged triad gangsters, according to police and media reports, in what is believed to be one of the city’s biggest gangland stings in years.
The detainees, including 26 teenagers, were arrested in the Tsim Sha Tsui tourist district in a crackdown on what is believed to be an effort to rig upcoming local votes.
Triads are the Chinese equivalent of the mafia and thrive in the karaoke lounges, brothels and bars, particularly of the less affluent Kowloon neighbourhoods.
Membership and even mention of them is a serious offence in Hong Kong.
A police spokeswoman would not give details of the arrests.
But a report in the Sunday Morning Post newspaper said the detainees were thought to be members of the brutal Sun Yee On gang, one of the largest in the southern Chinese city.
“We believe they were mobilised to show their support for someone prior to the election of a New Territories village head,” a police source was quoted as saying.
The report said police swooped after receiving a tip-off that the triads would be gathering.
Elections are being held this weekend and over the next four to select leaders of territory’s many tiny rural villages.
Village politics in Hong Kong are rooted the traditions of rural Chinese culture, in which powerful families dominate and effectively lead each settlement.
The arrangement has led to accusations of, and prosecutions for, corruption.
Sat Jan 6, 9:25 PM ET, Agence France Presse, http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070107/wl_asia_afp/hongkongcrimepolitics_070107022557&printer=1
