Taiwan’s flashy triad parties with supercars, hostesses spark crackdown

TAIPEI – Extravagant parties thrown by triads in Taiwan have spurred calls to crack down on organised crime, after viral videos of the events prompted concern about the power of gangs on the island.

The most high-profile of the events involved a banquet organised by Taiwan’s largest criminal gang, the Bamboo Union, at the Marriott Hotel in the capital Taipei. Footage on social media showed scores of hostesses lining up to welcome the gang members alongside luxury supercars.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that the extravaganza occurred at the hotel on Mar 6. The Marriott International did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Taiwanese government has long struggled to clamp down on the triads, which make their money through a mixture of legitimate businesses and illicit activity such as gambling, debt collection and the sex industry.

Concerns have also grown in recent years over links between the gangs and pro-China groups.

Gangs including Bamboo Union and Sun Alliance – a branch of another major underworld syndicate, the Heavenly Way Alliance – “have held a series of spring banquets at hotels to network, and used sports cars and attractive women to welcome guests”, said Taiwan’s National Police Agency in a statement on Wednesday.

These events sought to “deliberately strengthen the reputation of the triads, provoked negative perceptions in society, and openly challenged the determination of public authorities and the police to enforce the law”, the agency said.

Taiwan Premier Chen Chien-jen asked the police to take effective measures to crack down on organised crime in a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, according to Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng.

The government will increase inspections and carry out raids on residences and places where gangsters often gather, Mr Lo said, while prosecutors were asked to strengthen investigations into organised crime. Bloomberg