New Charge Brought Against Ex-Mob Boss

Taiwanese crime gang boss Chen Chi-li and two others arrested Saturday in Phnom Penh for illegal weapon possession face a further charge of involvement with organized crime following their appearance in Phnom Penh’s Municipal Court Wednes­day.

Amid tight security and crowds of jostling Taiwanese and local journalists, Chen Chi-li, 58, former leader of the Bamboo Uni­on triad, along with Taiwan­ese national Lia Mong In, 28, and Mainland Chi­nese national Qoung Ou Quing, 45, were brought to the Municipal Court for formal charging.

Municipal Court Prosecutor Ngeth Sarath said Wednesday that he charged the three with membership in an organized crime syndicate following a review of Military Police evidence.

Ngeth Sarath’s comments were the first formal acknowledgment of the existence of an organized Taiwanese gang network in Phnom Penh.

The new charge allows for be­tween three and 15 years in pri­son, Ngeth Sarath said, adding that he charged the three under Un­­tac law Article 36 dealing with or­ganized crime. They were origi­n­ally arrested under Article 54, which bans the possession of illegal arms.

However, the status of the case still remained unclear Wednes­day evening after Nop Sophon, vice-president of the Municipal Court, failed to sign official detention warrants for the three and did not appoint an investigating judge, citing the need for more time, Ngeth Sarath said.

Military police officials said Wed­nesday that the three will be returned to Military Police Head­quarters in Phnom Penh where they have been kept since their arrests.

Taiwanese national Jiao Jing Chong, 50, who was also arrested in  Saturday’s police raid, was released Wednesday morning after investigators found he was not connected to Taiwanese gang activity, Military Police Researcher Khaut Samkhan said.

The arrest of Taiwanese gang members is not yet over, Hour Sareth, director of the military intelligence intervention department, said Wednesday.

According to Hour Sareth, as many as 30 more Taiwan gang members are currently in Phnom Penh and authorities are moving to make arrests.

“Right now I have two more cases regarding Taiwanese Mafia in my hands,” Hour Sareth said.

The three suspects were accompanied to Wednesday’s court hearing by Military Police officers carrying a large bag containing an array of evidence; including assault rifles, high-powered handguns and a grenade launcher, all of which were seized from Chen Chi-li’s Tuol Kok district residence Saturday.

Investigators also confiscated two Cambodian passports—one diplomatic—and one Singaporean passport all bearing Chen Chi-li’s photograph.

A diplomatic car registration plate was found at the residence, Khaut Samkhan said, adding that documents were discovered proving that Chen Chi-li holds the honorary Cambodian title Okhna—sometimes given to those who have made large financial contributions to the government—and was formerly an advisor to Senate President Chea Sim.

Speaking a few words in Chinese to Taiwanese journalists at the court house, Chen Chi-li said he was in Cambodia to help and not do harm to the country.

He also said he did not want to be sent back to Taiwan, where the government will organize a show trial to convict him, a Taiwanese journalist said.

Chen Chi-li’s former Taiwanese triad group, the Bamboo Union, is purported to have 10,000 members around the world.

Known as one of Taiwan’s most wanted gangsters for his leadership of the gang, Chen Chi-li received international attention for his role in plotting the 1984  killing of Henry Liu, 56, a dissident Taiwanese writer who was gunned down by gang members in the US.

Chen Chi-li reportedly arrived in Cambodia in 1997 following a Taiwanese crackdown on organized crime members.

 

 

 

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