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China Tongs in America: Continuity and Opportunities

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Traditional Organized Crime in the Modern World

Part of the book series: Studies of Organized Crime ((SOOC,volume 11))

Abstract

Tongs are probably the most cited terminology when referring to Chinese organized crime in North America, although the terminology has faded somewhat in recent years from academic writings. However, to most U.S. law enforcement agencies and legislative bodies, tongs are still used to signify the underworld in Chinatowns. Depending on which government source one uses, tongs maybe considered a form of non-traditional Asian criminal enterprises, resembling street gangs more so than the traditional triads in Hong Kong or Yakuza in Japan.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    For instance, see current FBI’s official description of Asian organized crimes in the U.S. where criminally influenced tongs are differentiated from other traditional Asian criminal networks, http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/organizedcrime/asian.

  2. 2.

    Crime statistics issued by Hong Kong Police can be found at: http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/09_statistics/csd.html.

  3. 3.

    The case was widely reported in China in 2007. A collection of news reports (in Chinese) can be found at: http://yj2971520.blog.163.com/blog/static/55882492007115111832231/.

  4. 4.

    News reports of the death sentence can be found at: http://news.sina.com.cn/c/p/2010-12-24/004621696855.shtml.

  5. 5.

    Figures obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau at http://factfinder.census.gov/.

  6. 6.

    Survey statistics can be retrieved at http://www.census.gov/acs/www/.

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  1. Department of Sociology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182-4423, USA

    Sheldon Zhang

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Correspondence to Sheldon Zhang .

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  1. Willem Pompe Institute, University of Utrecht, Janskerkhof 16, Utrecht, 3512 BM, Netherlands

    Dina Siegel

  2. Erasmus University, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50, Rotterdam, 3062 PA, Netherlands

    Henk van de Bunt

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Zhang, S. (2012). China Tongs in America: Continuity and Opportunities. In: Siegel, D., van de Bunt, H. (eds) Traditional Organized Crime in the Modern World. Studies of Organized Crime, vol 11. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3212-8_6

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