‘Brotherhood is a myth’: Hong Kong’s triads evolve amid new criminal landscape
Not long after he entered secondary school, Hong Kong youth Jason* was bullied by an older student with triad links. He was relieved when another senior stepped in to protect him. He helped Jason take revenge on the bully, then recruited him into a syndicate. Without undergoing any initiation ritual, Jason paid his protector a red packet to become an informal triad member. Later on, he discovered…
Jason*, a Hong Kong youth, transitioned from being a victim of triad bullying to becoming an informal member of the syndicate. He discovered that the two seniors who recruited him belonged to different bosses within the same gang. As he got closer to the core group, Jason realized that the concept of brotherhood was a myth and that the triad was centered on making money.
He started taking job orders from his boss, which ranged from property damage to procuring bank accounts for laundering fraudulent funds. As he observed his peers, he witnessed their reluctance to engage in high-risk operations and their scramble for excuses when ordered to participate in street fights. To avoid arrest, Jason outsourced most of his tasks to his peers and took a cut of the earnings.
Triad groups, including Shui Fong, Wo Shing Wo, Sun Yee On, and 14K, have evolved in the past decade, shifting from violent clashes to white-collar crime and cybercrime. Triad-related crimes increased by 35 per cent in 2022, driven primarily by fraud. The police have adapted their strategy, focusing on intelligence-led operations to target illicit funds and freeze assets.
While low-level triad members still engage in traditional crimes, other businesses like selling pirated video discs and managing nightclubs have become obsolete. Some triads have started cooperating, forming a "win-win" situation for themselves as they prioritize making money over territorial disputes.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
