Salakau

Salakau, also know as Sio KunTong , which literally means '369' in Hokkien, is a street gang or sometimes oft-called a secret society based in Singapore. The numbers 3, 6 and 9 add up to 18, which was the name of an older gang; the number signified the 18 lorhans (principal disciples) of Shaolin [Ooi Boon, Tan (18 May 1993). "The name game : from sports teams and rock bands to secret societies". "Straits Times"] .

History

The gang was formed during the early 1942s during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore and many gangsters were involved with the anti-Japanese effort. 369 recruits its members mainly from youths and teenagers. Some of the youngsters in the gang are aged as young as 13 while leadership positions within the gang consists of older men in their twenties up to their 40s and 50s. The 369 gang is one of the biggest and most prominent secret societies in Singapore comparable to other well-known gangs such as the Ang Soon Tong. The 369 gang has been known to have operations in regional countries such as Malaysia and Thailand. While the secret society problem remains under control by the Singapore Police, secret societies such as the 369 remain influential and are still able to run sophisticated illegal activities such as loansharking, bookmaking and illegal gambling, making immense profits. While the secret societies are still capable of extreme violence and large scale clashes in turf wars, these are mainly avoided so as not to draw the attention of the police and allow the gangsters to engage in their lucrative and profitable enterprises.

Member identification

Members of this secret society often tattoo lines of dots called 'tiam' in Hokkien on their foreheads or even five dots on each knuckle on their fingers to identify themselves as 'fighters'. Teardrops on the cheeks are also quite common to signify they have recently lost a 'brother' due to a gang attack or have no more tears to cry, or blood drop below their lips to signify that they won't bleed during a fight. 369 members have been known to dress in a predominantly black outfit and usually taunt rival gang members into a fight with their myriad of gang chants and poems. Gang signs and gang symbols are a few ways gang members use to exhibit their association with this secret society.

Gang violence in Singapore

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the gang furiously attacked rival gangs and started many turf wars. It also started recruiting many members from the Indian & Malay community after relaxing the Chinese-only rule. In the 1990s, more Malays were reported to be joining it after being introduced to gang members during tea dances in discos. This was because Malay gangs were smaller and more loosely structured [Ooi Boon, Tan (10 April 1993). "Malay youths joining Chinese gangs". "Straits Times"] .

369 also made profits from narcotics and prostitution. Attacks on rival gangs such as the '303' gang (Sakongsa in Hokkien), the Omega gang and other independent branches of the '18' group were somewhat of a routine occurrence. The police cracked down on gang activity in the early 1980s and gang wars came to a screeching halt as many of the leaders were jailed. Many other notorious 'headmen' fled to neighbouring countries or were killed in gang attacks.Fact|date=February 2007 In the mid-90s, some teenagers in "pseudo street gangs" claimed affiliation to 369 to be "cool" but didn't engage in activities as violent as those engaged in by the real gang [Teo, Ginnie and Phuan, William (20 July 1997). "The 'bluff gangsters'". "Straits Times"] ; in 1993, there were at least 9 separate teenage gangs calling themselves '369' [Ooi Boon, Tan (18 May 1993). "The name game : from sports teams and rock bands to secret societies". "Straits Times"] .

However, in the late 1990s and early dawn of the millennium, the gang gained strength as many of the jailed leaders were released and several of the members had succeeded in scaring off many rival gangs from territories. Gang attacks once again became common and rioting cases shot up. Cases of murder involving gang attacks and riots were steadily increasing and the police force tightened its noose on the gangs. Singapore's Secret Society Branch dedicated most of its resources to halt the gang violence and managed in netting in a considerable amount of members. Slowly but surely, the gang violence receded and many members were put in prison.

Yet, from time to time gang violence still flares up, with a fight breaking out with the Omega gang in 2001 [Fei Wan, Wong (8 June 2001). "Jail and cane for attackers in gang fight". "Straits Times".] .

Recent activity

Salakau has predominantly held the territories as mentioned but gang activity has slowed down considerably. This is due to the Singapore Police Force having a better understanding of the gang networks and ample resources to stamp out violence. The Secret Societies Branch (SSB) of the Singapore Police Force has made great efforts at keeping the secret societies in check in recent years. The SSB regularly conducts surprise raids or checks on nightspots and public places known to be gang territories to deter any potential offenders. Anyone found guilty of being a member of an unlawful society may be punished up to a minimum of five years imprisonment and five strokes of the cane. Sentences are usually doubled or even tripled for anyone with significant leadership authority in any unlawful society in Singapore.

The strict laws serve as a deterrent to potential gang members and has successfully decreased the number of gang-related street fights and attacks although gang-related violence occurs sporadically. The most recent case was when '369' gang members launched a premeditated attack with machetes and other weapons against a rival gang outside a 7-11 convenience store at Central Mall which left a 46-year old rival gang member dead. Recent cases of fighting in popular nightspots such as Ministry of Sound and Club Momo have been attributed to '369' gang members.

References

ee also

*Secret societies in Singapore