Taiwanese watched with a mixture of fascination and fear as the body of a high-profile gang leader was flown home from Hong Kong yesterday for an elaborate family funeral.
Columns of 'men in black' were seen gathering at the island's international airport yesterday morning for the return of the body of Bamboo Union gang boss Chen Chi-li, who died earlier this month in Hong Kong of pancreatic cancer at the age of 63.
In a scene reminiscent of a mafia movie, the eldest son of the late gang boss held a tablet bearing the name of his father, while his second son carried his father's portrait in the company of eight triad leaders and hundreds of men clad in black.
Chen's wife, Chen Yi-fan, his sons and other relatives were whisked from the airport lounge to a line of black limousines taking them to Taipei where a temporary funeral venue was set up for mourners to pay respects to the late boss.
More than 20 tour buses packed with 'friends and relatives' of the late gang leader were lined up outside the airport to wait for the return of the body of Chen, seen as the 'eternal spiritual leader' of the Bamboo Union gang.
The family spent NT$2 million (HK$475,000) to charter a China Airlines Airbus plane to transport the body, plus friends and relatives to Taiwan. A public funeral will be held on November 4.