Guangdong Triads on Rise

 Guangdong Triads on Rise

 

A judge in Guangdong has warned that the triads are on the rise, and are worsening the environment for children. Mainland media cite the usual culprits, including foreign infiltration and, wonder of wonders, sex and violence on TV. Of course, the triads are a home-grown menace, and both the KMT and the Communist Party have made use of them when it suited their purposes. What kind of damage can the triads cause? The late Martin Booth, who lived almost his entire life in Hong Kong and whose mother worked undercover for the police, wrote a fascinating book, “The Dragon Syndicates: The Global Phenomenon of the Triads” (Caroll & Graf, 2000). He analyzed the growth of the heroin trade in great detail, including the crucial role of the Ma family, which continues to play a prominent role in Hong Kong through its Oriental Daily Group:

“There were three principal Teochiu Triad heroin dealers in the 1970s: Ma Sik-yu (White Powder Ma), his younger brother Ma Sik-chun (Golden Ma) and Ng Sik-ho (Limpy Ho)….

“Ma Sik-yu started trafficking narcotics in 1967. He knew the way to succeed was not to be a middle-man but to get in on the trade at source and control it from production to distribution. He travelled to the Golden Triange to set up a purchasing agreement with Kuomintang general Li Wen-huan, who was hiding out in the jungle, ready to strike at Communist China and paying his troops by selling heroin….

“Brother Sik-chun remained in Hong Kong, where he received the heroin, laundered the income and invested the proceeds in general and commodity trading companies, commercial property, cinemas, restaurants and bars. In addition, in 1969, he founded the Oriental Press Group, the flagship publication of which was the blatantly pro-Taiwanese Oriental Daily News, one of Hong Kong’s most popular daily newspapers. He moved in society circles as a respectable businessman and took part in a number of high-profile philanthropic activities….

“Interest in the Mas grew until, in 1976, the Hong Kong police had no alternative but to target them specifically. A task force was set up with sixty officers dedicated to nothing else. They were assisted by the DEA, Interpol and, ironically, the CIA, which had now changed direction somewhat in its attitude towards Asian narcotics trafficking. They were ready to pounce when, in February 1977, Ma Sik-yu was tipped off and fled, predictably, to Taiwan….

“Ma Sik-chun and Woon-yin were not so fleet. They were arrested with seven lesser fry and charged with operating the largest narcotics syndicate ever known in the colony, but, inexplicably, they were released on bail…. The Far Eastern Economic Review reported on 6 October that the Ma brothers had been spotted on 18 September in a Taipei restaurant, dining with two former Hong Kong police officers…. The whole business had barely affect the Mas, who simply shifted their operation to Taiwan….

“The Oriental Press Group is the most obvious of their successful companies. Now the biggest newspaper publisher in the Far East, the company is headed by Ma Ching-kwan, Ma Sik-chun’s son. One of the wealthiest men in Hong Kong, where multimillionaires are 10 cents a pair, Ma Ching-kwan wields considerable influence which reaches well outside the former British territory.”

The Ma family denies all the drug and triad allegations, which have never been proven in court, for obvious reasons. Ma Ching-kwan gave heavily to the Tory Party to secure a pardon for his father before the handover. When this didn’t work, he demanded his money back. Inflicting maximum damage, the Oriental Daily News itself dished the dirt on the influence-peddling, which it said went through the office of the last Governor Chris Patten, a charge Mr. Patten denied.