Ah Kong

Ah Kong
阿公

Gegründet	1970s
Founded by	Roland and Johnny
Founding location	Amsterdam, Holland; Origin - See Tong, Singapur
Years active	1970s-1990s
Territory	Based in Amsterdam, Holland and Bangkok, Thailand; Areas of influence - Europe
Ethnicity	Chinese Singaporeans
Membership (est.)	Hundreds
Criminal activities	Drug trafficking
Rivals	14K Triad

Singapore Mafia

Ah Kong (Chinese: 阿公) was an organized crime gang that was involved in the trafficking of drugs from the Golden Triangle to Europe. It was one of the world's biggest drug syndicate which controlled the heroin trade in Europe when it was active from the 1970s to the 1990s.

Ah Kong, which mean 'The Company' or short for kongsi in Hokkien was formed by gangsters, seamen and fugitives from Singapore. It was based in Amsterdam, Holland, the gateway to Europe's drug consumer market then, and Bangkok, Thailand, which is part of the Golden Triangle where they received their drug supplies. It had operations in other European cities and the Asia-Pacific, but had never been based in Singapore.

Ah Kong was never run along secret societies or triads lines, but as a well-organized and highly-efficient business entity. Most of the members of Ah Kong were Chinese Singaporeans and spoke Hokkien although they were overseas-based. It was also known to have had Malaysian Chinese members and had Thai and Indonesian connections.

After the assassination of the last Ah Kong boss in 1997, they began to lose their influence to the Sin Ma gang based in Rotterdam which was led by a Singaporean fugitive wanted for first-degree murder in the 1980s. Presently, Amsterdam Chinese underworld is taken over by Mainland Chinese gangs.

Background

Singapur

Like all places with significant Chinese population, secret societies and gangs were part and parcel of everyday life which the local populace in Singapore had to live with. The gangs' activities, which included extortions, illegal gambling, prostitution, drug dealing, loansharking (illegal moneylending), armed robberies and kidnapping, were a major menance in Singapore, especially in the 1950s to the 1970s. Gang wars that resulted in deaths and serious injuries, even to common bystanders, were a common sight in those days.

In 1954, the Commissioner of Police in Singapore revealed that there were 368 known secret societies in Singapore. The police had kept the records of 20000 members of secret societies, of which 6500 were active members. This was out of a population of less than two million people then.

To eradicate the secret societies, the Internal Security Act (Singapore) was used by the Singapore government whereby suspected criminals could be arrested without evidence or warrant, and detained indefinitely without the detainee ever being charged with a crime or tried in a court of law.

See Tong

On the night of October 23, 1969, Roland aka Hylam-kia, which mean Hainanese Kid in Hokkien and about ten of his fellow gang members from See Tong had armed themselves with parangs to attack two members of their rival gang, Pek Kim Leng (White Golden Dragon). The members of See Tong were in two cars and had trailed and cornered the car of their rival gang members at the junction of Bras Basah Road and North Bridge Road. One of the rival gang members, who were also armed, was killed and the other seriously injured during the attack.

The clash had arisen from a previous dispute between See Tong and Pek Kim Leng gang members in a bar. Negotiation held later to settle the dispute was broken down. A 'curfew' between the two gangs ensued whereby gang members would attack at the sight of each other.

Roland and many of his fellow gang members were from a Hainanese village at Upper Serangoon, where the community was closely-knit and included hardened fugitives and seamen. With the help of See Tong, Roland and some of his 'brothers' managed to escape to Malaysia and then to Amsterdam, Holland. Most of the gang members involved in the attack were arrested and were jailed without trial.

The Rise of Ah Kong

Amsterdam

Upon reaching Amsterdam, Roland and his brethren were received and taken care of by a person known as Johnny, or Big Johnny as some would like to call him. Johnny was not a See Tong member but a former seaman from Singapore who had resided in Holland. Johnny was a man with many connections.

Amsterdam then already had a thriving Chinese community. Roland and his brethren, who had very little money with them, saw how members of Hong Kong's infamous 14K gang were doing a thriving drug trade in the capital city. In the early 1970s, drug addiction in Europe was growing at an alarming rate and heroin was in great demand.

The man in control of the heroin trade then was the first Chinese Godfather in Europe, Chung Mon aka Unicorn of the 14K. He was a Hakka born in Bao'an (present Shenzhen), China. In 1975, three men who were flown in from Hong Kong approached Chung Mon as he stepped towards his Mercedes outside his office. The three were armed and fired ten bullets into the Chinese Godfather. It is believed that the three men, who were never arrested, were sent by Ng Sik-ho aka Limpy Ho, a major druglord in Hong Kong.

Very soon, Roland partnered Johnny and they founded Ah Kong but operated under the See Tong flag. It was later when more non-See Tong members joined them that they stopped using the See Tong name.

Roland and his men operated as the muscles and Johnny imported the heroin. With only 10 men altogether, Ah Kong was a very small outfit compared to the already well-established Hong Kong gangs like 14k, Wo Shing Wo, Sun Yee On and Shui Fong that had hundreds of members at any one time. The production of heroin was at an area known as the Golden Triangle formed by Thailand, Laos and Burma.

In 1977, law enforcement agencies from the west were ready to arrest Johnny at Bangkok airport once he touched down. When he left the arrival hall, the law enforcement officers walked up to him and identified themselves but Johnny’s men responded with fire power, and a shootout ensued. Johnny managed to escape. He returned to Amsterdam but was arrested and had 17 murder charges read to him. Miraculously, he was found not guilty due to lack of evidence. The shootout at Bangkok airport during the court hearings in Europe were all over the news from Asia to Europe. In that same year, Johnny was arrested again and sentenced to 10 years in a Swedish prison.

Roland moved to Copenhagen later and permanently resided there.

Organization

In 1978, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) of Singapore spearheaded an international operation that resulted in the seizure of about $10 million Singapore dollars worth of heroin and the arrest of more than 50 members of Ah Kong in Singapore, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. For many months, CNB had sent undercover agents to Amsterdam and other European cities to probe the activities of Ah Kong.

They found that the make-up of Ah Kong consist of gangsters, seamen and fugitives; and there were four key leaders in Ah Kong, which they have named: Golden K, Ah Meng, Ah Wee and Ah Li. However, Ah Kong was never run along secret societies or triads lines, but as a well-organized and highly-efficient business entity. Ah Kong had also diversified its business into restaurants, the diamond trade, travel agencies, nightclubs, gambling and the distribution of martial arts films in Hong Kong, which also acted as fronts for their illegal business. Within Ah Kong, it functioned like a closely-knitted family, demanding uncompromising loyalty from all its members.

Singaporean and Malaysian seamen who worked as couriers in European cities were paid at least $2000 Singapore dollars a month with an additional $1000 Singapore dollars given to sent home to their families. Ah Kong members usually accompanied the couriers without them knowing it, to ensure that the heroin reached its destination without any problem.

Drug couriers from Thailand and Malaysia were paid $15000 Singapore dollars per trip and given an all-expenses paid holidays in Europe. This sum, which could buy a house in Singapore in those days, was not easy to resist. With the millions of dollars Ah Kong made, they were able to grow their business very fast. In one operation, they used 70 couriers on a single flight to Amsterdam.

One of the reasons for Ah Kong's success was that they were always one step ahead of the law. When Amsterdam customs officers started checking on all Asian passengers thoroughly, Ah Kong flew its couriers to 'safer' airports in London, Oslo, Copenhagen, Paris and Rome. From their airports, the couriers travelled to Amsterdam or Frankfurt by train or taxi. They avoided airports in Germany and Denmark because these countries used narcotics detector dogs.

Ah Kong members who returned to Singapore were detained and interogated. The information gathered was shared with other drug enforcement agencies in South-east Asia, Europe and the United States. The crackdown dealt a decisive blow to Ah Kong.

The New Generation

1980s

With the key leaders of Ah Kong arrested, the gang was later led by a new generation leader known as Siam-kia, which literally mean 'Siamese Kid' in Hokkien. Siam-kia had previously attained a university degree when he was in prison without trial in Singapore. After taking over the leadership of Ah Kong, Siam-kia ran the gang in mafia style. A casino was opened at Kerkstraat 23 in Amsterdam.

Siam-kia was the most popular amongst all the Ah Kong bosses. He was the brain behind Ah Kong's successes and he equipped himself with many capable people, courageous enforcers, accountants and lawyers. Ah Kong became so properous that it owned more than a hundred racehorses in Singapore and Malaysia.

However, like Roland before him, Siam Kia too succumbed to gambling. He lost heavily on horse racing that led him to embezzle the Company’s fund. The underboss of Ah Kong, Dennis aka ‘Nor Du’, who was not a former See Tong member, led a coup d'état, and the allegations implicated Siam-kia of embezzlement which led to his exit.

Siam-kia was eventually "deported" to Thailand where he went through difficult times. However, he made a comeback himself by learning how to make ecstasy in a laboratory at his home. He operated in Southeast Asia and supplied ecstasies to the Asia-Pacific market. Siam-kia had also incurred the dislike of some Ah Kong elders because he had betrayed a prominent Ah Kong old-timer, Jack, who had went into partnership with him.

1990s

After deposing Siam-kia, Dennis ruled the Chinese underworld in Holland with an iron-fist. He was known as the most feared and most powerful Ah Kong leader.

Dennis was a man with great leadership qualities and managed his organization well. He spoke Dutch, English, Italian and several Chinese dialects. He was tough to those in the underworld but a 'heroic' figure to the common folk. He instructed his men to be polite and courteous to the common people; and make sure nobody make trouble for the Chinese businesses in Amsterdam. He once gave the order to execute the leader of a mainland Chinese gang who had extorted from Chinese restaurants and gang-raped a female restaurant employee.

During Dennis' reign, he recruited many Malaysian Chinese and some local Dutchmen. Over the years, Ah Kong had built strong ties with the infamous Penang secret society, Sio Sam Ong. It was reported in the Singapore press that a hundred men could be flown in from Malaysia if there was a need for any gang clash in Amsterdam. The underboss, Henry, and third-in-command of Ah Kong were still former See Tong members.

Under Dennis' leadership, Ah Kong became more influential than ever. He had business dealings with the Italian mafia and Yugoslavian crime syndicate, although many adversaries were created at the same time. Ah Kong members were dressed in Versace and wore diamond-studded Rolex gold watches which became their trademark. However, Dennis chose to dress simply without any luxury accessories. Ah Kong members and their informers would patrol the streets, airports and train stations and look out for illegal 'China White' traffickers. Anyone caught dealing behind their back would be punished and those who snitched will be awarded a cut from the drug seized. At one stage when the heroin problem was out of control, the head of the Dutch police publicly announced his plan to eradicate Ah Kong. After learning this, Dennis sent a C-4 (plastic explosive) to the home of the police chief and the police chief was forced to relocate his entire family to a military base. Later, the police chief sent his subordinate to have a meeting with Henry to make peace with Ah Kong.

The Fall of Ah Kong

Dennis

In 1997, Dennis received a call from a female friend asking to meet up. As Dennis did not sense any danger, he went alone and was gunned down mercilessly inside his car by two submachine gun-wielding men on motorbikes. The killing made headline news on the front of all the major newspapers in Holland. The female friend’s family was heavily in debts but a few days before the assassination, the debts were mysteriously cleared. Siam-kia announced that he was the one behind it. However, some people from the inner-circle discredited his claim and some said that the leader of the Sin Ma gang had a part in the conspiracy.

Henry, the second-in-command in Ah Kong, was automatically promoted to become the new leader.

Johnny

In 1998, Johnny was released from prison for the second time. He had been framed by a small-time Malaysian heroin trafficker and spent more than four years in a Zurich prison. He returned to Holland and went into new trades: cocaine, cannabis, ice and ecstasy; and his operations went beyond Europe to as far as the Asia-Pacific. He associated with the Russians and team up with his long-time close friend, Klaas Bruinsma, a semi-retired Dutch druglord. Johnny was doing very well and he took Henry in when the latter was in difficult times.

In 1999, Johnny was found dead, at the age of 53, in a hotel room in Hong Kong after a huge cocaine shipment was busted. The Hong Kong police concluded that he had committed suicide; and the Hong Kong newspaper reported he had stabbed himself. The day before Johnny died, he had handed over his possessions and identity documents to a close friend. Rumours were that he was unable to answer for the failed shipment to the people who had entrusted him and death was apparently his only answer.

Siam-kia

In recent years, Siam-kia has made an enormous windfall from real estate investments and has gone into legitimate businesses in Cambodia. He runs a casino there and enjoy a very 'good relationship' with the local government.

Roland

In 2009, Roland, who had moved to Copenhagen, and his Singaporean friend who had flew to the Danish capital to celebrate his 61st birthday party was shot by his own man, a Vietnamese called Nguyen Phi Hung. The attack took place after Roland had closed his popular Restaurant Bali at Kongens Nytorv Square, the heart of Copenhagen's shopping district. He was shot in the shoulder but his friend was shot in the chest and was in a critical condition. Danish media reported that about 40 young people turned up at the hospital after the two men were admitted in an apparent show of support.

Danish police have stated that the shooting was over a "personal matter' between the gunman and Roland, and that there was a brief exchange between the two men before the shooting. Roland was described as the most powerful Chinese businessman in Denmark by Danish tabloid, Ekstra Bladet. Roland had previously been questioned by police in connection with several serious crimes, including drug dealing, blackmail and murder, according to Danish news reports.

He owns Restaurant Bali, a restaurant serving Indonesian and Malaysian food, and a few other restaurants in Copenhagen. The Danish branch of the Hells Angels biker gang, whose activities revolve around drugs and prostitution, had held parties at the restaurant.

Henry

Henry had rose from the rank of an enforcer and had only limited connections. He did not have good relationship with his peers and had little support from them, thus rendering him rather useless. He was fond of gambling at the casinos and loved to go to karaokes. He did not show much enthusiasm in seeking revenge for his predecessor, Dennis. The Ah Kong based in Thailand, in charge of transporting the drugs to Europe, refused to send shipments as a protest of his leadership. The Company’s fund dried out and Ah Kong slowly disbanded.

Henry joined Jack, the Ah Kong old-timer who had a confrontation with Siam-kia, until Jack died of a heart attack.

During Henry's prime, he was a fearsome enforcer respected by many but his last days in Amsterdam was a sad story. He was beaten up by the Mainland Chinese gang while he was weak and ailing and had no one by his side. He took the humiliation as he was helpless. He realized it was all over for him. He left the city he once shined and returned to Singapore. He later contacted cancer and died in March 2010 at the age of 58. He jumped to his death because he was unable to tolerate the pain of his illness.

He was the last official Ah Kong boss.

Present

Although Ah Kong’s glory days are over, there are still active Ah Kong members who operate individually or in very small groups and are lying very low. They are scattered all over Europe, Asia, and Australia; and some others have joined other groups.

Sources

The Chinese Mafia by Fenton Bresler ISBN 0600203921

Slaying the Dragon by Tan Ooi Boon ISBN 9789812481257 ISBN 9789812481354

The Triads as Business by Chu Yiu Kong ISBN 0415170923

International Triad Movements by Chu Yiu Kong

The Dragon Syndicates - The Global Phenomenon of the Triads by Martin Booth

Television

Ah Kong was featured in the 1996 Mediacorp blockbuster Mandarin television drama series, "Brave New World" (新阿郎), which starred Hong Kong actor, Alex Man, Fann Wong and Xie Shaoguang. The series was filmed in Singapore and Holland.

See also

• Secret societies in Singapore
• Internal Security Act (Singapore)
• Organized crime

References

• Price of a high life - Ansley Ng, January 9, 2009, Today
• Ruled in Europe, busted in S'pore - Ng Tze Yong, November 21, The New Paper