The Taiwanese godfather, Hsu Hai-ching (
At a dinner held in his honor at the Sovereign of the Seas restaurant in Taipei, 100 tables overflowed with representatives from underworld gangs and organized crime groups from as far away as Japan.
Although Hsu retired from underworld activity more than 30 years ago, his network of influence was readily apparent in the crowd of wellwishers, whose sartorial taste ran uniformly to black.
They included leaders of the Bamboo Union (
Well-known gangsters from southern Taiwan such as A-Yao (
Among the most visible were representatives of the Japanese crime group Yamaguchi-gumi (山口組).
Hsu was orphaned at a young age and entered gang life in his early teens in order to take care of his younger brother and sister. His slight build and quick hands soon earned him his nickname.
By his early twenties, Hsu had risen to become a gang leader in the Wanhua district of Taipei.
When the KMT retreated to Taiwan, their policy of using Taiwanese to govern Taiwanese led them to nominate Hsu in the elections for the first Taipei City council, despite his purported illiteracy.
Hsu was elected by a large margin, and although a dislike of politics led him to serve only one term in office, his political career enhanced his influence in his various enterprises, legitimate and otherwise.
By the 1950s, Hsu had become a tycoon of the "entertainment" industry, running numerous gambling parlors and hostess bars in the Wanhua district, where he also ran some general stores.
Hsu is also well-known in gang circles as a master arbitrator, having negotiated many underworld disputes.
He is particularly known for settling a bloody feud between two Kaohsiung gangs, the Seven Sages (七賢) and the Sandy Ground (沙仔地), thereby earning his other nickname, "the last arbitrator."
‘IRRATIONAL ACTS’: The defense ministry condemned the drills, during which China tested successors to missiles deployed during the Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1995 and 1996 China yesterday fired several Dongfeng ballistic missiles as it began four days of unprecedented military drills off Taiwan proper following US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei the previous day. On Tuesday, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said Beijing would “take all necessary measures” in retaliation should Pelosi visit Taiwan during her Asia tour. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from 1:56pm to 4pm fired 11 Dongfeng missiles into waters north, east and south of Taiwan proper, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Taiwanese armed forces, using “forward warning and surveillance mechanisms,” monitored the missile tests
ANNEXATION PLANS: Remarks by the Chinese ambassador to France showed that Beijing seeks to normalize genocide, re-education and gulags, a US official said European and US officials condemned comments from Chinese Ambassador to France Lu Shaye (盧沙野), after he on Wednesday said that Taiwanese would be “re-educated” after any annexation by China. In an interview on French television, Lu accused the Democratic Progressive Party of “extremist” propaganda and turning Taiwanese against “reunification” with China. “We will re-educate. I’m sure that the Taiwanese population will again become favorable of the reunification and will become patriots again,” Lu told BFM TV. The term “re-education” has been used to describe Chinese authorities’ treatment of Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. European Parliament Subcommittee on Security and Defense Chairwoman
SOLIDARITY: A group of European lawmakers condemned China’s aggressive moves, while the foreign minister of Lithuania said Taiwan ‘cannot become a second Ukraine’ A German parliamentary delegation would visit Taiwan in the first week of October, German lawmaker Holger Becker on Monday told visiting Democratic Progressive Party legislators Fan Yun (范雲) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾) at the Bundestag in Berlin. Asked by Fan whether he is worried about possible reprisals from Beijing, such as banning him and his family from entering China, Becker said he is more interested in visiting Taiwan, as “now is the time for democracies to stand together.” Fan and Lin also met with German officials to exchange views on digital education and governance. Investing in digital infrastructure and protecting equal rights to
‘SIMULATED ATTACKS’: Ten warships each from China and Taiwan were maneuvering at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line Taiwan yesterday reiterated that it would not succumb to pressure from Beijing after China carried out its most provocative military drills in decades in retaliation for US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan last week. “We will never bow to pressure. We uphold freedom and democracy, and believe Taiwanese disapprove [of] China’s bullying actions with force and saber rattling at our door,” Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday. China had “arrogantly” disrupted regional peace and stability, he said, calling on Beijing to not flex its military muscles. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has also called on the international community to “support
RSS