Via the ever-useful Docuticker, I just came across an interesting new report put out by the U.S. Justice Department on Asian transnational crime. It takes a look at gangs in several places in Asia, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and considers their influence on the United States. A couple years ago I spoke with one of the authors, Rutgers Professor Ko-lin Chin, for a short piece about crime in Taiwan. He knows his stuff, and I recommend checking out the report if the subject interests you.
The most interesting point is about the gap between the thinking of law enforcement authorities in Asia and their counterparts in the U.S. on the significance of criminal activities that tend to cross borders. That means drugs, arms and human trafficking. American officials tend to be more concerned about the potential for political instability and even terrorism posed by transnational criminal groups, while in Asia law enforcement tends to put a higher priority on more local organized criminal activities, like prostitution and gambling, according to the report.
One section I did find questionable. Some Hong Kong authorities told the authors that triads “are not interested in involving themselves in politics.” That might be true as far as ideological terrorism is concerned. But I wouldn’t say they’re completely divorced from politics either. The South China Morning Post reported last week that Hong Kong police arrested 100 alleged gang members who were suspected of planning to influence a village election in Hong Kong’s rural New Territories. Now that’s the democratic spirit. –Austin Ramzy