FBIS3-59284 "jpcar001___94016"
JPRS-CAR-94-001 Document Type:JPRS Document Title:China 4 January 1994
MILITARY, PUBLIC SECURITY

Journal Examines Criminal Societies

Overview of Organized Crime

94CM0068A Hong Kong CHIU-SHIH NIEN-TAI [THE NINETIES] in Chinese No 11, 1 Nov 93 pp 43-45 94CM0068A Hong Kong CHIU-SHIH NIEN-TAI [THE NINETIES] Language: Chinese Article Type:CSO [Article by Cheng Ying (2110 1305): "Special Editorial: Criminal Gangs Challenge Security on Mainland--The Rise of Secret Gangs on the Mainland"] [Text] In Shaoyang City, a secret gang openly proclaimed in a public announcement that it had executed a policeman. This gives us a small indication of the rise and rampancy of criminal gangs on the mainland. Higher authorities acknowledge that secret society organizations have appeared in a number of provinces and cities. In Guangdong Province, at least 100,000 persons are suspected of being involved in secret societies. Data reveal that crimes committed in various parts of the mainland in recent years, such as gun running, drug trafficking in the border regions, car and highway robberies, plundering and murder, and also the overt and covert operations of underground gangs leading to serious crimes of great viciousness committed in groups, are becoming more blatant with each passing day.
Startling and Frightening
Let us first look at a few truly frightening incidents: In the summer of 1991, a policeman of Shaoyang City in Hunan Province was shot and killed on a public square in the middle of the city. The next day, a public announcement was impudently posted on the board for municipal judicial notices. It said: "This is to give notice that the Xiao Xiong [Hsiao Hsiung] Society of China has executed a policeman." It was signed Kuang Long [Mad Dragon], president of the society. The "Xue Shou [Hsueh Shou] Gang," that had been extinct in Fujian Province for the last few decades, has been revived, headed by a man named Hua Ruya [5478 1172 1509]. Membership of the gang is made up of inkstone carvers. In a big fight that erupted on 7 April 1991 with quarry workers, the gang, using various weapons, enacted a slaughter that had blood flowing in streams. In October 1991, a series of murders occurred at Tangshan, in which the "Sanjianke [Three Swordsmen] Gang" were involved. The "three swordsmen" were Liu Zuo [0491 0146], Wang Xincheng [3769 2450 1004], and Lei Yunhai [7191 0061 3189]. The "oath of allegiance" sworn by gang members was: "Together in life and death, together in enduring adversity, and no betrayals of the cause." The purpose was stated as "causing the Communist Party as much trouble as possible," and their principle of action was "to perform world shaking deeds." In May 1990, the public security department of Hebei Province broke up the "Jianghu Langren [Vagrants of Rivers and Lakes] Gang," said to be the country's largest gang of thieves and burglars. Its chief called himself "Langli Aoyou Yi Quexian," which translates as "a crippled immortal roaming unrestrainedly." He has a 30 year history as pickpocket and thief, and his real name is Yao Zunxian [1202 1415 6343]. This gang has gathered up local thieves and burglars and plagued city and countryside, raking in as much as 100,000 yuan every week from thefts and burglaries. The gang has a chieftain, a person in charge of public business, and also a person in charge of military affairs. Some of its gang members come from highly educated families, and some have also studied law and have on several occasions evaded prosecution. The gang also controls a group of female camp followers, on the one hand, for the purpose of satisfying the desires of gang members when on long overland treks without wives, and on the other hand, to screen activities, having the women appear as serving as young lady secretaries. There have been reports that the lodges of the triad society set up in Guangzhou control prostitution and trade in smuggled pornography throughout the entire Huanghuagang district. Control of all underground trades in Guangzhou is divided up between different gangs, a fact that has already been verified very early by security personnel. Most of the independent small street vendors in the country's largest small commodities market, the Hanzheng Street in Wuhan, are being harassed by hosts of self-styled "secret societies." They enforce payment of "protection money," and it is suspected that some wear military police uniforms, so that the vendors are reluctant to report them.

Main Occupation of Criminal Gangs: Smuggling, Drug Trafficking

Whether in the market towns of the southwestern border region or in the "opened-up" zones along the southeastern seaboard, underground secret gangs have arisen everywhere in recent years, and they live by victimizing the people. They expand their power by depending merely on five lines of "trades," namely smuggling, drug trafficking, arms trading, controlling the immoral trade, and controlling gambling houses. The following are some instances of such: Car thefts and smuggling of stolen cars has been a serious vexation for the police in Hong Kong and Macao since 1987. The underground gangs in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Dongguan collaborate with underground gangs in Hong Kong, have them steal lots and lots of high class Hong Kong limousines, and then get them shipped over in repeated successful operations. In 1992 alone, 6,500 limousines were stolen in Hong Kong, and every month over some 600 cars were transported to the mainland along secret routes. Guangzhou's public security department acknowledges that the criminal gangs on the mainland that steal and smuggle motorcars are broadly organized and have also infiltrated security, customs, and border defense agencies. In Huizhou City alone, security personnel received "goodwill fees" from criminal gangs amounting to over 10 million yuan. A certain Tan [6223], leader of the car theft criminal gang in the Huiyang district, has 34 underlings, and their equipment, from communications to transportation, is much superior to that of the security forces. Some gangs have set for themselves extremely strict regulations as "society admission" or "gang admission" rituals. The reason why people are willing to face the risks and join the gangs is no other than the lure of high reward. The sale of one stolen car in Guangzhou can often bring a profit of from 30,000 to 50,000 yuan. Quite a few gangmembers are former convicts or former inmates of "reform through labor" institutions, or have escaped from prison. They will risk their everything to fight the police to take personal revenge.
Arms Trading, A Casual Affair
On New Year's Day of 1986, a military convoy on its way to relieve a garrison on the Sino-Vietnamese border was stopped when it approached a small town near Menglian. A crowd of young girls and boys swarmed around the vehicles, peddling pornographic books and magazines and golden trinkets to the soldiers. In the baskets of some of these people there were, open for everybody to see, Soviet-made pistols and ammunition. One pistol, to be given with 50 bullets in the bargain, was marked out at 50 yuan. These trading activities were completely uncontrolled, going on as nonchalantly as fruit sales on inland railway stations. A few steps further on, in the people's homes, you could discover baskets full of hand grenades and U.S.-made semiautomatic weapons. Arms trading in the border region seems to be a relaxed and free occupation, but actually in most cases firmly in the hands of some criminal gangs. Some of these people are indeed the "little Red Guard generals" who 20 years ago had gone to Vietnam and Cambodia to "support the world revolution." They have settled and become lawful residents in Laos and Cambodia and have become quite powerful members of local gangs. Some have mounted gangs at their disposal and have hired gunman to protect the arms smuggling and trading on both sides of the border. The local criminal gangs have their own "Ho Chi Ming Trails" and are hard to catch and to bring to justice. All these large and small weapons have a ready market among Hong Kong's criminal gangs and among the bands of drug dealers in Southeast Asia. On some routes of the drug trade, local people serve as well-paid hired guards. The following are some figures released by southwest border defense units and other related agencies: Nov 1988: Sichuan Province broke up an arms case, seized 17 pistols. Sep 1989: Fujian broke up an especially large arms smuggling case, seized over 1,000 pistols and arrested 30 gangmembers. Apr 1990: Guangzhou broke up a gun and ammunition case; seized over 100 rifles and over 1,000 bullets. In 1992: the two provinces of Yunnan and Hainan broke up 21 arms smuggling cases; involved were 84 rifles, 1,100 bullets, and 90 suspected gangmembers. In the public security regulations promulgated after the establishment of the PRC, unauthorized possession and concealment of firearms is an extremely serious crime. However, by the 1980's, smuggling of guns and ammunition by devious routes is no more a unique occurrence. In the hands of the criminal gangs, these weapons are like time bombs that can go off at any time and do great harm to society.
Some Peculiarities of Criminal Gang Activities
Public security agencies are well aware of the rise of criminal gangs all over the country. As early as at the All-China Public Security Work Conference in May 1989, Ren Jianxin [0117 1696 2450], president of the Supreme People's Court, indicated: "The important and large burglary and robbery cases that have occurred are clearly of a criminal gang nature." This acknowledgment is more and more verified by actual facts. In Shanghai alone, the following gang-type secret societies have been broken up: The Qing Tian She [Blue Sky Society] (in the suburbs), the Shisan Taibao [Thirteen Guardians] (in the Zhabei district), the Jiangnan Qixia [Seven Heroes South of the Changjiang] (in the Nanshi district), and also some others. When a cadre of the Guangzhou Police Bureau, who did not want to reveal his name, was privately interviewed by a certain Japanese writer, he made some frightening revelations about the grouping and organization of criminal gangs in the Guangdong region. He said, there are at least 100,000 suspected criminal gangmembers in Guangdong. They generally operate as follows: 1. Most make a living in the free market. The government leaves large loopholes in its control of illegal actions by small vendors and individual entrepreneurs. Hiding among those has become like a natural protective screen for the criminal gangmembers. 2. The link between the criminal societies of the mainland and the criminal organizations across the border, such as the Triad Society and the Xin Yi An [Sun Yee On] Society, is becoming stronger with each passing day. The forces of the various factions establish "contacts and backing" with and from the outside, always seeking behind-the-scenes backers and accomplices for their deeds. 3. Although the territory on the mainland is divided up between local gang powers, internal rivalry has not yet been serious so far. For instance, the passenger minibuses in the cities of Guangzhou and Dongguan are controlled by different gangs for different routes. They either cajole people to ride their buses and then halfway rob them clean, or they act in collusion with the drivers and take from the passengers whatever they have. This is the root of the scourge expressed in the term "car thieves and highwaymen." However, if conflicts arise between different gangs as to "territorial jurisdictions," they have their own bigwigs who will privately arrange peace. In Guangzhou there are over 1,000 minibuses that will have to buy "insurance" from various gang lodges. At 20 yuan per day per bus, it gives them an average daily income of 20,000 yuan. 4. Places of nightlife entertainment in such big cities as Guangzhou and Shenzhen are about 80 percent, and to varying degrees are controlled or infiltrated by underground gangs. Some of them have their own security guards (thugs), some force girls into prostitution, and some call all the shots in illicit gambling operations. 5. Whenever they run afoul of the authorities or are threatened with a police raid, they have immediate operative underground "communications channels" that will take the matter up with the police or the authorities in power and work out a compromise. In serious cases, they will finally alert the high and mighty in Hong Kong to personally allay the dispute. In actual fact, much of the immoral trade in Shenzhen is tacitly permitted by the police, and the criminal gangs have their informers right inside the police. 6. It has come to light in recent years that the criminal gang organizations, for more effective operations, have started to hire intellectuals at great expense. For instance, the criminal gang organization in Xiamen already has highly educated people as ringleaders, and they even have the services of specialized lawyers who will absolve them from guilt or blame, besides criminal gangs do not just rob, kill, and commit misdeeds all day long. They are also very much engaged in legitimate trade as a shield, and that fact creates great difficulties for investigating personnel.
"Secret Societies Have Become Part of Society"
It is not possible to narrate one by one all the large cases of national significance, but it has to be emphasized: Although their history is a short one, the underground criminal societies on the Chinese mainland have a savage and cruel character that is frightening, as they display an extreme hatred for society. In April of this year, at the Mudanjiang railway station in the Northeast, it was necessary to call up 300 fully armed policemen to prevent interception by powerful criminal gangs of the transfer to jail of a group of 15 prisoners convicted of serious crimes, because the gangs had threatened that they would use their guns to rescue the prisoners. Interrogation of the 15 prisoners led to the breakup of a criminal gang of over 90 persons. As a show of force against the police, these people had committed over 200 crimes of various kinds and had publicly declared that they would fight the police to the very end. This case was a great shock to the state's public security and to the heads of the Chinese communist regime. To sum up, "secret societies have become part of society" was the conclusion reached in one of the internal documents of the public security department of Guangdong Province. Communist China has for a long time boasted that secret societies like the "Qing Bang" and the "Hong Bang" societies, have disappeared from mainland society. Now we witness their revival in such cities as Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou. As I finish these lines, there is news that the city of Harbin in Heilongjiang Province has won a "complete victory" in wiping out its criminal gangs. Prior to this, the ringleader of the criminal gang in the city of Harbin had just been planning to take the precious seat of a member of the Municipal Political Consultative Conference.