Wo Shing Wo
Encyclopedia
Wo Shing Wo is the original Wo Group Triad, and it is the triad with longest tradition in Hong Kong.
Wo Shing Wo was established in Sham Shui Po
in 1930 and, while maintaining its traditional stronghold in Tsuen Wan
, it has extended its influence to Tsim Sha Tsui
and Mong Kok
.
It also operates in Tai Po
and Sheung Shui
. The triad is known to be involved in extortion, drug trafficking, gambling and prostitution.
The group continues to use the old Hongmen Secret Society initiating ceremony for newly recruited members.
Dragonheads of Wo Shing Wo
s of cities around the world.
During World War II, WSW helped invaders kill many Chinese villagers, with the killer team dubbed '49 Team'.
Because political issues in China
, many Chinese villagers left mainland and fled to Hong Kong. WSW membership expands from 5,000 to 70,000 in 1950.
In 1989 WSW became the centre of media attention after the terrorist attacks on the Indonesian coast bordering the South China Sea.
In 1995 a young wannabe member of London's mainly Filipino
WSW kills Philip Lawrence
, a school headmaster. He is sentenced and it is proven that he actually had no ties with the Triad organization.
As the United Kingdom prepared for the handover of Hong Kong back to the People's Republic of China, WSW redefine their organization in order to prepare for their murky operations in mainland China. WSW split into six separate regional forces in Hong Kong—500 fully armed members in North Territories, hawkers in Sham Shui Po, love hotel
s in Jordan, with groups in Tsuen Wan, Wanchai and (a new branch) across the border in Shenzhen
. (1997)
In 2001, WSW trades drugs in discos and bars with Judi Fong and religious communities promising that drugs can enhance religious experiences through visions and hallucinations.
In 2002 a fight in Birmingham
's China Palace casino
, involving WSW UK members and Vietnamese
14K triad. A UK WSW leader of Hong Kong origin but with ties to Holland
, is murdered. The man was 46 year old Mann Chung Li, commonly called "Chung Goh", or "Brother Chung" in English.
By 2005 WSW had become Hong Kong's No. 1 drug trader.
WSW's drug dealing activities and key criminal activities spread to China, Japan, Thailand and Australia.
WSW is involved in various criminal activities and some of Hong Kong's politicians and businessmen are suspected to be supporters of the Triad group.
WSW is split into two main forces, one based in Macau and another in Shenzhen.
WSW began to emerge in Europe.
By 2006 WSW had control the secondhand market in Hong Kong, including mobile phones, electronic appliances, stolen cars and exchange of weaponry at Mong Kok
.
WSW members are attacked by members of Wo On Lok. Firearms are used and many are hurt.
WSW raise crime rate in Chinatown, London
, United Kingdom.
In 2010 WSW was involved in stabbing incident in Chinatown
Manchester
.
On 24 February 2011, word had got out in a village near Falkirk that a man aged 24 linked with WSW had shot a teenager dead with an AK-47
, and the man was thought to have been killed by gunshot wounds. The incident was thought to have started by an argument in the street and the teenager was killed trying to defend the person the man was arguing with.
routes and was extorting at least HK$14 million a year as protection fees from 30 drivers. Former group dragonhead "Broken Mouth Bun", who, police say, is the leader of the group running the Tsuen Wan – Kwun Tong route, was arrested and bailed on 21 March 2010 in connection with the scheme.
On each route, about 30 drivers each pay at least HK$10,000 a month as a protection fee to the triad gang. The gang then make sure no other driver could run the routes, leaving the drivers able to earn HK$10,000 and HK$20,000 a month.
Three other minibus routes running between Tsuen Wan and Kowloon East – Choi Hung, Tsz Wan Shan and Ngau Tau Kok – are being controlled by another Wo Shing Wo gang.
Wo Shing Wo was established in Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po
Sham Shui Po, or Shamshuipo, is an area of Sham Shui Po District, Hong Kong, situated in the northwestern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, north of Tai Kok Tsui, east of Cheung Sha Wan and south of Shek Kip Mei. Sham Shui Po is known for its street market for electronic devices.-History:Sham Shui Po...
in 1930 and, while maintaining its traditional stronghold in Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan is a bay in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, opposite to Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged for the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The town is around the present-day Tsuen Wan Station of the MTR...
, it has extended its influence to Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui
Tsim Sha Tsui , often abbreviated as TST, is an urbanized area in southern Kowloon, Hong Kong. The area is administratively part of the Yau Tsim Mong District. Tsim Sha Tsui East is a piece of land reclaimed from the Hung Hom Bay now east of Tsim Sha Tsui...
and Mong Kok
Mong Kok
Mong Kok , less often known as Argyle , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong...
.
It also operates in Tai Po
Tai Po
Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...
and Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui
Sheung Shui is an area in New Territories, Hong Kong. Sheung Shui Town, a part of this area, is part of the Fanling-Sheung Shui New Town in the North District of Hong Kong. Fanling Town is to its southeast.-History:...
. The triad is known to be involved in extortion, drug trafficking, gambling and prostitution.
The group continues to use the old Hongmen Secret Society initiating ceremony for newly recruited members.
Dragonhead
The Wo Shing Wo dragonhead is elected every two years.Dragonheads of Wo Shing Wo
- Poon, known as "Broken Mouth Bun", born c1962. In office: 2008–2010;
- "Shu Tsai". In office from 2010;
History
Wo Shing Wo was established in 1930, in 1931 it moved its base from China Town in Toronto, Canada to Hong Kong with a goal to establish an anti-British colonial governance and by 1932 was already established in 15 subdivisions in ChinatownChinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
s of cities around the world.
During World War II, WSW helped invaders kill many Chinese villagers, with the killer team dubbed '49 Team'.
Because political issues in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, many Chinese villagers left mainland and fled to Hong Kong. WSW membership expands from 5,000 to 70,000 in 1950.
In 1989 WSW became the centre of media attention after the terrorist attacks on the Indonesian coast bordering the South China Sea.
In 1995 a young wannabe member of London's mainly Filipino
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
WSW kills Philip Lawrence
Murder of Philip Lawrence
Philip Ambrose Lawrence QGM, was a London-based headmaster who was stabbed to death outside the gates of his school when he went to the aid of a pupil who was being attacked by a gang.-Biography:...
, a school headmaster. He is sentenced and it is proven that he actually had no ties with the Triad organization.
As the United Kingdom prepared for the handover of Hong Kong back to the People's Republic of China, WSW redefine their organization in order to prepare for their murky operations in mainland China. WSW split into six separate regional forces in Hong Kong—500 fully armed members in North Territories, hawkers in Sham Shui Po, love hotel
Love hotel
A love hotel is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy for sexual activities...
s in Jordan, with groups in Tsuen Wan, Wanchai and (a new branch) across the border in Shenzhen
Shenzhen
Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China's Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong. The area became China's first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones...
. (1997)
In 2001, WSW trades drugs in discos and bars with Judi Fong and religious communities promising that drugs can enhance religious experiences through visions and hallucinations.
In 2002 a fight in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
's China Palace casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, involving WSW UK members and Vietnamese
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
14K triad. A UK WSW leader of Hong Kong origin but with ties to Holland
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, is murdered. The man was 46 year old Mann Chung Li, commonly called "Chung Goh", or "Brother Chung" in English.
By 2005 WSW had become Hong Kong's No. 1 drug trader.
WSW's drug dealing activities and key criminal activities spread to China, Japan, Thailand and Australia.
WSW is involved in various criminal activities and some of Hong Kong's politicians and businessmen are suspected to be supporters of the Triad group.
WSW is split into two main forces, one based in Macau and another in Shenzhen.
WSW began to emerge in Europe.
By 2006 WSW had control the secondhand market in Hong Kong, including mobile phones, electronic appliances, stolen cars and exchange of weaponry at Mong Kok
Mong Kok
Mong Kok , less often known as Argyle , is an area in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Kowloon Peninsula, Hong Kong...
.
WSW members are attacked by members of Wo On Lok. Firearms are used and many are hurt.
WSW raise crime rate in Chinatown, London
Chinatown, London
The name Chinatown has been used at different times to describe different places in London. The present Chinatown is part of the Soho area of the City of Westminster, occupying the area in and around Gerrard Street...
, United Kingdom.
In 2010 WSW was involved in stabbing incident in Chinatown
Chinatown, Manchester
Chinatown, Manchester is an ethnic enclave within the city centre of Manchester. It is second largest Chinatown in the United Kingdom and the third largest in Europe. It is located in east central Manchester, and situated next to the Gay Village...
Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
On 24 February 2011, word had got out in a village near Falkirk that a man aged 24 linked with WSW had shot a teenager dead with an AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, and the man was thought to have been killed by gunshot wounds. The incident was thought to have started by an argument in the street and the teenager was killed trying to defend the person the man was arguing with.
Minibus racket
From 2006 to at least 2010, the group controlled three red minibusPublic light bus
A Public light bus is a common public mode of transport in Hong Kong. It mainly serves the area that standard Hong Kong bus lines cannot reach as efficiently. It is also colloquially known as a minibus or a van, defined as a kind of share taxi....
routes and was extorting at least HK$14 million a year as protection fees from 30 drivers. Former group dragonhead "Broken Mouth Bun", who, police say, is the leader of the group running the Tsuen Wan – Kwun Tong route, was arrested and bailed on 21 March 2010 in connection with the scheme.
On each route, about 30 drivers each pay at least HK$10,000 a month as a protection fee to the triad gang. The gang then make sure no other driver could run the routes, leaving the drivers able to earn HK$10,000 and HK$20,000 a month.
Three other minibus routes running between Tsuen Wan and Kowloon East – Choi Hung, Tsz Wan Shan and Ngau Tau Kok – are being controlled by another Wo Shing Wo gang.