Wo Shing Wo
| Founded | 1930 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong |
| Territory | Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, United States, Canada, and The United Kingdom |
| Ethnicity | Majority Chinese and Vietnamese, Minority Thai, Korean, British, and American |
| Membership | Unknown |
| Criminal activities |
|
| Rivals |
Wo Shing Wo (Chinese: 和勝和; Jyutping: woo sing woo) is the oldest of the Wo Group triad societies, and is the triad with the longest history in Hong Kong. According to the Hong Kong police, the triad is involved in extortion, drug trafficking, gambling and prostitution.
Wo Shing Wo was established in Sham Shui Po in 1930. 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, Sheung Shui and Fanling. The group continues to use the old Hongmen Secret Society initiating ceremony for newly recruited members.
Wo Shing Wo was established in 1930. In 1931 it moved its base from chinatown in Toronto, Canada to Hong Kong with a goal to establish an anti-British colonial governance. By 1932 it had grown into 15 subdivisions in Chinatowns of cities around the world. During World War II, Wo Shing Wo helped invaders kill many Chinese villagers.
Because of political issues in China, many Chinese villagers left mainland and fled to Hong Kong. Wo Shing Wo membership expanded from 15,000 to 70,000 in 1950
In 1989 Wo Shing Wo 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 Wo Shing Wo killed Philip Lawrence, a school headmaster. He was sentenced and it was proven that he actually had no ties with the Triad organisation.
As the United Kingdom prepared for the handover of Hong Kong back to the People's Republic of China, Wo Shing Wo redefined their organisation 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 hotels in Jordan, with groups in Tsuen Wan, Wanchai and a new branch across the border in Shenzhen. (1997)
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