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]