Suspected triad chiefs arrested

Police stormed an upmarket restaurant in Causeway Bay last night where gang leaders were believed to be holding talks and arrested 16 suspected triad heads.

Dozens of officers from the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau raided the four-storey Forum Restaurant in Lockhart Road about 9.30pm.

It is believed that celebrated abalone chef Yeung Koon-yat, who owns the restaurant, was on the premises at some point during the operation. His restaurant, near the Causeway Bay Plaza, is famous for its expensive dishes and is a magnet for the rich and famous.

Some of the suspects - all men aged between 26 and 64 - were hooded and handcuffed before being taken away for further questioning.

Officers at the scene declined to give any further information about the operation or reveal which triad factions the suspects allegedly belonged to.

Last night's arrests were the second high-profile anti-triad operation the police have conducted within a week.

Police Commissioner Dick Lee Ming-kwai monitored last Monday's operation, 'Root canal', in person.

During the operation, officers smashed a prostitution racket that had a monthly turnover of $2 million and arrested more than 100 people, including alleged heads of the syndicate.

Police believe the Wo Shing Wo triad group was behind the prostitution racket as well as running massage parlours in Mongkok.