How did the Triads evolve? What role did the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911 play in that evolution? How did Mao Zedong's regime affect the Triads? What effect has globalization had on Triad criminal activity? Discuss some criminal activities of the Triads, using particular Triads to illustrate

Question

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Answer 1

The Qing dynasty had attempted to wipe out the Triads. When the Qing dynasty ended in 1911, it opened an opportunity for the Triads to exert greater power. General Chiang Kai-shek, himself reputedly a Green Gang Triad member, imposed a military regime with help from the Green Gang. When the Naitonalists (General Chiang's regime) lost to the Communists under Mao Zedong, Triads were forced out of mainland China. At the end of Mao's "Great Cultural Revolution," many Red Guard members fled to Hong Kong and form the Big Circle. Criminal groups from mainland China, typified by the Big Circle (Dai Huen Jai) and the Fuk Ching, Coordinated efforts of members in various countries enable them to carry out international drug trafficking, arms trafficking, alien smuggling operations, as well as a variety of sophisticated financial fraud crimes. Hong Kong-based Triads are involved in the manufacture of counterfeit credit cards. By the early 1990s, the Big Circle had established criminal cells in Canada, the United States, and Europe that are highly sophisticated in their use of technology to thwart law enforcement. Known primarily for the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit credit cards and other documents, this group has also been involved in drug trafficking, extortion, prostitution, and gaming offenses. These criminal activities have emerged from globalization, which has enabled rapid communication, easy financial transaction, and ease of travel.