Triads infiltrated camps of Occupy supporters and detractors, say police

Up to 200 gangsters from two major triads across the city were mobilised to infiltrate the camps of supporters and detractors of the Occupy protests during chaos in Mong Kok more than a week ago, police said.

Their exact motive was still under investigation, but police planned to launch operations targeting those triads soon.

"They were well organised and came with a purpose," Superintendent Dan Ng Wai-hon, of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau, said yesterday. "Police have been keeping a close watch on some senior triad members. Some have gone into hiding already."

The mayhem that broke out on October 3 and 4 led to the arrests of 47 people, of whom at least eight were found to have triad backgrounds, though all were low-ranking members.

Since October 5, the force had assigned about 300 plain-clothes officers from the Criminal Investigation Department to Mong Kok to prevent triads from creating more trouble, Ng said.

Their numbers were six times more than the usual 40 to 50 plain-clothes officers deployed in the area, he said.