Sio Sam Ong (小三王), literally meaning "Three Little Kings", or SSO, for short, is a leading Chinese
triad
Triad or triade may refer to:
* a group of three
Businesses and organisations
* Triad (American fraternities), certain historic groupings of seminal college fraternities in North America
* Triad (organized crime), a Chinese transnational orga ...
in Malaysia; with a strong presence in the north (i.e.
Kedah,
Perlis). Mainly based in
Penang
Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...
, it is widely considered to be one of the most powerful triads in the country. Like their counterparts in Singapore and Taiwan, the Sio Sam Ong mostly consists of the
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...
ethnic group.
Background
It is believed that Sio Sam Ong was established during the 1940s to 1950s; being mainly active in northern Malaysia. According to the
Malaysian police
The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) ( ms, Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM)), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation. Its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman ...
, Sio Sam Ong is currently one of the most active triads after Aek En Sang, Ang Soon Toong, Salakau Singapore, Ghee Heng, Ang Bin Hoay and Chaun San in Malaysia. it is believed that they have around 500 thousand members and involved in 100 countries. In Malaysia, they were actively involved in politics by joining the government coalition (
Barisan Nasional
The National Front ( ms, Barisan Nasional; abbrev: BN) is a political coalition of Malaysia that was founded in 1973 as a coalition of centre-right and right-wing political parties. It is also the third largest political coalition with 30 se ...
) parties
United Malays National Organisation
The United Malays National Organisation (Malay: ; Jawi: ; abbreviated UMNO () or less commonly PEKEMBAR), is a nationalist right-wing political party in Malaysia. As the oldest continuous national political party within Malaysia (since its in ...
(UMNO) and the
Malaysian Chinese Association
The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA; zh, 马来西亚华人公会; ; ta, மலேசிய சீனர் சங்கம், initially known as the Malayan Chinese Association) is a uni-racial political party in Malaysia that seeks to ...
(MCA) to cover up their identity. They use the code of 3821 gang, and 36 international brothers/ red international army according to the hoax of Chinese triads history. Its currently headed by Dragon Head, Ong King Ee, nicknamed "Jackie Chan".
According to Penang police, the triad has been involved in international
drug trafficking
A drug is any chemical substance that causes a change in an organism's physiology or psychology when consumed. Drugs are typically distinguished from food and substances that provide nutritional support. Consumption of drugs can be via insuffla ...
,
kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...
,
murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
,
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
,
racketeering
Racketeering is a type of organized crime in which the perpetrators set up a coercive, fraudulent, extortionary, or otherwise illegal coordinated scheme or operation (a "racket") to repeatedly or consistently collect a profit.
Originally and of ...
and
loansharking at its height.
The triad gained notoriety by the slaying of six people in Taman Bersatu, Sungai Petani, in September 1992. The members were also involved in at least 10 murders in the state in the late '80s and early '90s.
There were five members executed for betraying the triad, the remains were exhumed from unmarked graves in Mount Erskine, Penang. Many of its high-ranking members are still high on the Malaysian Police wanted list.
References
Who Are The Triads Identified? at mynewsfocus.com
Organizations established in the 1940s
1940s establishments in British Malaya
Triad groups
Organized crime groups in Malaysia
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