United Bamboo Gang
Encyclopedia
The United Bamboo Gang is the largest of Taiwan
's three main Triads. They are reported to have roughly 10,000 members. The membership consists largely of waishengren, and has close ties to the Kuomintang
; they are said to be motivated as much by political ideology as by profit. The gang gained global notoriety when it became directly involved in politics in the early 1980s; alleged gang leader Chen Chi-li
and his accomplices Tung Kuei-sen
and Wu Tun murdered writer Henry Liu in California
in 1984. Chen was arrested in Taiwan, tried, and convicted; however, his life sentence was commuted after seven years, at which point he fled to Cambodia
, where he lived until his death. The incident was later portrayed in the 2009 American political thriller film Formosa Betrayed
, produced by Will Tiao
.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's three main Triads. They are reported to have roughly 10,000 members. The membership consists largely of waishengren, and has close ties to the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
; they are said to be motivated as much by political ideology as by profit. The gang gained global notoriety when it became directly involved in politics in the early 1980s; alleged gang leader Chen Chi-li
Chen Chi-li
Chen Chi-li , nicknamed King Duck, was a gangster from Taiwan, best known for heading the United Bamboo Gang...
and his accomplices Tung Kuei-sen
Tung Kuei-sen
Tung Kuei-sen was a member of the Taiwan-based United Bamboo Gang. Along with Chen Chi-li and Wu Tun, he is best known for his murder of dissident journalist Henry Liu in Daly City, California in October 1984.-Murder of Henry Liu:...
and Wu Tun murdered writer Henry Liu in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1984. Chen was arrested in Taiwan, tried, and convicted; however, his life sentence was commuted after seven years, at which point he fled to Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, where he lived until his death. The incident was later portrayed in the 2009 American political thriller film Formosa Betrayed
Formosa Betrayed
Formosa Betrayed is a 2009 American political thriller film directed by Adam Kane, written by Charlie Stratton, Yann Samuell, Brian Askew, Nathaniel Goodman, with story by Will Tiao and Katie Swain, and starring James Van Der Beek...
, produced by Will Tiao
Will Tiao
Will Tiao is a Taiwanese American actor and producer. Born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas, he worked in the field of international politics before entering the Hollywood scene. Tiao was a cello performance major at the University of Michigan before transferring to Tufts University, where he...
.
See also
- Criminal tattoos
- List of Chinese criminal organizations
- Organized crimeOrganized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
- Russian mafiaRussian MafiaThe Russian Mafia is a name applied to organized crime syndicates in Russia and Ukraine. The mafia in various countries take the name of the country, as for example the Ukrainian mafia....
- TongTong (organization)The word tong means "hall" or "gathering place". In North America a tong is a type of organization found among Chinese living in the United States and Canada. These organizations are described as secret societies or sworn brotherhoods and are often tied to criminal activity...
- Triads
- YakuzaYakuza, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
- 14k14K TriadThe 14K is a Triad group based in Hong Kong but active internationally. It is the second largest Triad group in the world with around 20,000 members split into thirty subgroups. They are the main rival of the Sun Yee On, which is the largest Triad. The 14K are responsible for large-scale drug...