China mushes 2,000 plus ganglands in past 5 years

Updated: 2011-09-22 22:26

(Xinhua)

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BEIJING - Chinese authorities have eradicated 2,131 gang-like organizations in a nationwide campaign launched five years ago to tackle the country's underworld of organized criminal gangs, or ganglands, according to official statistics released this week.

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said that 1,779 cases related to gangland crimes have been prosecuted and 1,462 cases received first-instance judgements.

The MPS also confiscated over 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) in gang-related assets and punished a number of government officials who served as umbrellas, including hundreds at the grassroots level in rural areas and villages.

The nationwide campaign began in February 2006, when the Political and Judiciary Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee held a national conference on fighting gang-related crime and established an office dedicated to leading the campaign.

Liao Jinrong, a senior official with the MPS and deputy director of the National Anti-gangland Office, said that social safety conditions have been significantly improved after these ganglands were eradicated, and the number of severely violent crimes has decreased.

"The anti-gangland campaign is a real nationwide movement, as well as a genuine action for the people's livelihoods," said Liao.

Earlier this month, authorities in Central China's Hunan province captured a gang leader who used violence to control the local vegetable market. Vegetable prices declined by an average of 20 percent after the gangland was eradicated.

Despite making progress, Liao said China still faces challenges of gangland crimes, as ganglands increasingly use legal institutions to cover up their crimes and gangsters transition from severe violence to "soft violence" tactics, including verbal intimidation, harassment and tracking.

In the meantime, some ganglands operating on the Chinese mainland are now collaborating with counterparts in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, putting crimes like opening illegal casinos, drug trafficking and money laundering on the rise.

Liao said China has established a professional force dedicated to the anti-gangland campaign meant to address these challenges. The police, procuratorate and judicial systems are closely coordinating supervision of gangland cases.

Liao urged enhanced public awareness of the anti-gangland campaign, as well as coordination with the people.