On Wednesday (Dec. 9), the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a press release stating that it is imposing sanctions against Wan Kuok Koi, a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and leader of the Chinese Communist Party’s “14K Triad” (14K Triad) organized crime syndicate.
The Ministry of Finance said in a press release that the sanctions also target three entities led by Wan Kuok Koi. Hong Kong media referred to Wan Kuok Koi as “Banyu Kui”.
Who is Wan Kuok Koi?
The Treasury Department said the sanctions were imposed under the Global Magnitsky Act. According to the list, three individuals are newly sanctioned, including Yin Guoju, whom the U.S. refers to as Broken Tooth, a Kyrgyzstan national, and a Liberian national.
The Treasury Department said that Yin was at the helm of the “14K Triad,” one of the largest organized crime groups in the Communist Party of China, which engaged in drug trafficking, illegal gambling, extortion, human trafficking, and a range of other criminal activities.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has determined that Yin Guoju, as the head of an enterprise, including a state-owned (Communist Party) enterprise, or a member of the enterprise, was involved in corruption, embezzlement, expropriation of public funds, expropriation of private property for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts, exploitation of natural resources, and bribery.
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFCA) also blacklisted three entities owned or controlled by Yin: the World Hung-Mun Historical and Cultural Association, which is headquartered in Cambodia; Hong Kong-based Dongmei Investment Group Limited; and the Palau China Hung-Mun Cultural Association, which is based in Palau.
The Treasury Department said that all assets of sanctioned persons in the U.S. must be reported to OFAC, and that companies in which the sanctioned person has a 50 percent or greater interest in the U.S. are also blocked and U.S. persons are prohibited from doing business with the sanctioned person.
Yin Guoju and his entities have strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party’s “One Belt, One Road” policy.
In 2018, Wan Kok Kui will establish the headquarters of the World Hung Mun Historical and Cultural Association in Cambodia, according to a press release from the Ministry of Finance. The Hung Men (or “Red Men”) is a global Chinese fraternal organization founded in the mid-1600s and synonymous with “triads” in Hong Kong and Macau. Self-legalization.
According to the press release, the World Hungmen Historical and Cultural Association has successfully selected elite figures in Malaysia and Cambodia to continue to use the Communist Party’s Overseas Chinese Actors (OCEs) in the context of the Belt and Road Initiative and other Chinese Communist Party initiatives. The World Hungmen Historical and Cultural Association (WAHCA), which has a presence in Southeast Asia, has established a strong business network, is involved in cryptocurrency, real estate development and start-ups, and has recently established a security company dedicated to protecting investments in the “Belt and Road”. The World Hungmen Historical and Cultural Association has established a strong business network throughout Southeast Asia, and has been involved in cryptocurrency, real estate development and start-ups, and recently established a security firm specializing in protecting Belt and Road investments.
According to the Treasury Department, the Chinese companies behind the Belt and Road Initiative have several things in common: their leaders have ties to criminal networks in other parts of Southeast Asia and in China, or to those involved in illegal activities; they have established organizations that engage in casinos and cryptocurrencies; they advertise online, have established ties to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, and have strong ties to key Chinese government agencies; and they all have established associations that actively seek to assist Chinese citizens.
In addition to promoting the Communist Party’s Belt and Road Initiative through the World Hungmen Historical and Cultural Association, Yin’s organization also leads the Dongmei Group, which is the largest organization in the Sai Sai Port region of Myanmar, according to the press release. Dongmei Group is a major investor in the Saixigang Zone in Myanmar.
Relationship between the Triad and the Chinese Communist Party
During last year’s anti-sentinel pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, a mob attacked anti-government protesters returning home from a march in the city center, as well as other commuters and bystanders, on July 21 in Yuen Long, northwest of Hong Kong near the border with China. Police did not intervene; they were seen passing by or walking away. At least 45 people were injured, some critically.
Most of the attackers were wearing white shirts – protesters generally wear black – and carrying wooden and metal sticks. The New York Times Chinese website reported on August 6, 2019, that some were identified as belonging to Hong Kong’s legendary and feared triads, secret societies that sometimes turn into mafia-style violent criminal networks. At least three well-known triad gangs are said to be responsible for the Yuen Long attack – the 14K, the Woo Shing Woo and the Waterhouse.
The New Times reports that China (CCP) is believed to have received help from the Hong Kong Triads in the past. Back in 1984, Chinese (Communist Party) supreme leader Deng Xiaoping famously said of the city’s triads, “Not all triads in Hong Kong are black, and there are many good people.” In 1993, Tao Teamju, Minister of Public Security of the Chinese Communist Party, said, “Triads are not monolithic, and some of them are patriotic and love the Party.”
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