Notes » February 2007

Spot the Triad

Sometimes it's fun to wander around Hong Kong playing "Spot the Triad".

It isn't as easy as you might think. Sure, if the guy is walking about Mong Kok shirtless and has a giant dragon tattoo on his back, chances are high that he could be a nogoodnik.

But of six men who just pled not guilty to triad-related charges in court, you'd be hard-pressed to identify several of them as gangsters if you passed them on the street. Consider their professions:

• financial company director

• property agent

• ballroom manager

• construction worker

• fish hawker

• unemployed

At this point they haven't been convicted, but their future doesn't look rosy.

It isn't often that the boys near the top get pinched, but it's always interesting when it happens. It challenges stereotypes and makes "Spot the Triad" more difficult to play.

So the next time you're walking down the street in Hong Kong, remember: a guy in a suit might not be as squeaky clean as he looks, and the day-labourer might just be a hard-working guy trying to make ends meet.

Or not.

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