Hong Kong triads after 1997

Abstract

This paper reports on triad activities in Hong Kong from 1997 to 2004. In opposition to the popular view that mass triad migration to Western countries would occur around the period when Hong Kong was turned over to Mainland China in 1997, what has actually happened is that in the last decade Hong Kong triad members have increasingly been found to enter the Chinese market. There are three general trends of triad activities in Hong Kong. First, triad members from various societies group together to run profitable criminal projects. Second, they team up with legitimate entrepreneurs to monopolize a newly developed market. Lastly, triad members increasingly invest in legitimate businesses. Sun Yee On, Wo Shing Wo, and 14K are selected to be three case studies that illustrate the latest development of triad societies. The data for this paper are largely based on the author's research on triads in the last ten years, and on recent in-depth interviews with anti-triad police officers and different informants in Hong Kong.