FBIS3-20552 "jpcar019___94013"
JPRS-CAR-94-019 Document Type:JPRS Document Title:China 22 March 1994
SOCIAL MILITARY, PUBLIC SECURITY

Rapid Growth of Underground Criminal Societies

Shanghai SHEHUI [SOCIETY] in Chinese No 105, Oct 93 pp 47-48 Shanghai SHEHUI [SOCIETY] Language: Chinese Article Type:BFN [Article by Sun Hui (1327 6540) and Wu Mengshuan (0702 1322 2165): "Underground Criminal Societies Rapidly Expand Their Influence"] [Excerpts] First of all, the influence of recently formed underground criminal societies within China is expanding at an alarming rate! Currently, more and more criminal gangs and unhealthy organizations are turning into underground criminal societies with even stronger and more one-pointed devotion to crime. The rapid numerical growth in underground criminal societies stems from the major increase in criminal gangs over successive years. In 1990, 100,527 criminal gangs with 368,885 members were identified throughout the country. Both the number of gangs and their membership were three times as large as that of 1985. And while the numbers of those involved in underground criminal societies has rapidly grown, the influence of these societies has spread throughout all regions of the country. Fairly large-scale underground criminal societies have been identified in Harbin, Shaoyang of Hunan Province, Guiyang of Guizhou Province, Yancheng of Jiangsu Province, and Yuncheng of Shanxi Province, while the situation in the southeastern coastal regions is even more critical than in the north or in the hinterland. Looking at an individual province, underground criminal societies have been found operating in 18 regions and cities of Hunan Province, as an example. The members of underground criminal societies are primarily the dregs of society's idlers, while the nucleus and backbone of these gangs is made up of wayward habitual criminals, recidivists, those running from the law, as well as those who have not been reformed through the two types of labor. These types of individuals have long taken an anti-social stance, conducting themselves in a wicked, merciless, and unscrupulous fashion as they engage in unbridled criminal activity without regard for the consequences. They represent the worst sort of criminal influence we are confronted with, and they are the hardcore operators behind the exercise of underground criminal society influence. A significant segment of the underground criminal society operates under a clear reactionary agenda colored deeply by political designs. For example, the "China crime party" and the "plum blossom gang", both of which were located and busted by public security organs, had clearly established reactionary agendas based on "seizing territory and political power." The huge growth in underground criminal society influence is also shown by the massive wealth these individuals have acquired through illegal means. They have used every sort of method to lay hold of firearms, ammunition, hand grenades, daggers, electrical billy clubs, poison guns, tear gas cannisters, and other lethal weapons, and they illegally manufacture firearms and ammunition for themselves. For example, in early April of 1991, the "wolf gang" was busted in the Yuncheng region of Shanxi Province, and they were found to possess 22 firearms, 10 of which were home-made. At the end of 1991 and the beginning of 1992, eight underground criminal gangs were busted in Guiyang and they were found to have 17 handguns and rifles, as well as military grenades, mortars, bulletproof vests, hunting knives, daggers, and other lethal weapons. Underground criminal societies generally possess modern means of transportation and advanced communications facilities. For example, the underground criminal society headed by Wu Jiazhen [0702 0502 3791] in a certain suburb of Yancheng, Jiangsu Province, has vehicles for all of its thugs. Also, it has set up communications links by purchasing a radio station and walkie-talkies, and it has installed a tower antenna over 20 meters high in front of the entrance to its headquarters building. The "wolf gang" of Shanxi Province controlled all of the drivers of our unit and used our vehicles to carry out their criminal activities. Underground criminal societies have many members, they are tightly organized, they have a considerable stockpile of weapons, and most of the members are more hardened in their criminal ways than the run of the mill criminals and gangs, and for these reasons, the influence of the underground criminal societies is deeper and more pernicious. For the most part, these people brazenly commit their crimes in the open, not hesitating to kill, injure, rob, steal, swindle, blackmail, kidnap, smuggle, or traffic in and use narcotics, and they will go so far as to illegally imprison individuals. In addition to these serious crimes, members will freely beat up and insult people, oppress whole towns by bullying the businessmen, eat and drink their fill without paying, forcibly take whatever they desire, wantonly insult women, extort money and items form sources public and private, commit every manner of crime, seriously prejudice the good order of society, and disturb normal social order. They have become a new form of mass oppressor, they try to dominate through evil deeds, and they represent a wicked force that challenges the political power of the people and the laws of the state. For example, since 1988, the city of Shaoyang has had at least 25 cases of persons having their hands and/or feet chopped off. In some cases, persons have had their fingers chopped off or smashed, while others have had the tendons in their feet slit out and discarded. When the same persons go to the hospital to have new tendons transplanted, the savage criminals track them down to re-slit and discard the tendons, and then smash their kneecaps and ankles. Another trend is that criminal societies are infiltrating the business world, actively seeking legal business fronts, thereby establishing a base for operations. Some criminal societies even use ill-gotten wealth to make contributions and donations and to render aid, seeking political capital in the process and ensconcing themselves in protective surroundings. Criminal societies employ various means to bribe, entice, and corrupt personnel of party and government organs, and in particular public security and justice workers, into acting as protective umbrellas. They use these people to shelter criminal actions, to facilitate crime, and to gain priviliged information. A small minority of cadres and policemen become corrupt after failing to resist temptations. They shelter the criminal societies and either do nothing about the illegal criminal activity or they do next to nothing about it. Some even drink toasts with the criminals and pass along priviliged information. Several major crime society stings have shown this to be the case, and it has forced public security organs to set up secret operational cells in secret locations to work in a highly concealed manner. As the influence of underground criminal societies grows wildly within China, outside and foreign criminal elements are taking advantage of our country's gradual opening to the outside world. They are stepping up their infiltration of Mainland China, trying to establish a foothold, open up a "new battlefield", or seek refuge on the mainland. Underground criminal societies from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and Japan have been the most pernicious in this regard. They have infiltrated the southeast coastal regions and have conspired with evil elements in those areas to join forces. The harm this represents is significant. Especially in the last few years, international drug cartels have tried to open up routes for their drug trade through China. The drug trade has become the medium for underground criminal societies both within China and abroad. For example, in July of 1990, when the Taiwan police launched a crime raid under the code name "sudden thunder", the "kingpin" of the so-called "firefly bridge gang," Zhang Zhenqian [1728 4176 3383], moved to the mainland and set up the Zhongshan Trading Company in Xiamen. His business expanded to Fuzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, among other places, and Zhang became "brothers" with a certain Chinese painting master. He registered in Beijing and continued to engage in crime. In February of 1992, our police captured him and extradited him to Taiwan. According to the estimates of the Taiwan press, there are now over 200 underground Taiwan criminals of the big brother rank or higher operating on the mainland, approximately 30 of whom carry guns. It is obvious that outside criminal influence permeates our country! Party and government organs and departments are the focal points of outside criminal infiltration. Customs, border defense, and public security organs are particular targets. In Guangdong Province, a small percentage of the border defense station officials have been bribed by criminal societies from Macao into helping sneak things across the border. And a very small number of public security cadres and policemen have been recruited by the Shuifang and Shenghe gangs of Hong Kong. While infiltrating the mainland, underground criminal societies from abroad wantonly engage in criminal activity. For example, in the Friendship Market robbery case in Shenzhen, aside from one student being involved, all of the perpetrators were members of the 14K and Shuifang gangs. [passage omitted]