Chinese Communist Gangster Ran His Own Private Army
June 2nd, 2008But how many times did he watch Apocalypse Now?
Via: Telegraph:
Yang Shukuan drove round the city of Tangshan in an armoured personnel carrier and owned a fleet of other military vehicles – as well as a Rolls-Royce, two Ferraris and 20 other cars.
He also had a cache of arms, some of which he “borrowed” from friends in the police, and used his quasi-military force to intimidate his opponents.
The case has highlighted how “gangster capitalism” has taken over parts of provincial China.
Although he mixed with police and served as an official government adviser, Yang’s gang consisted of ex-convicts and other unemployed local men, the court found.
His company, Huayun, had been set up in 1998 to be a front for his criminal activities.
“They illegally possessed guns, ammunition and other firearms, persecuted ordinary citizens and seriously disrupted the local economic and social order,” the court said, convicting him of operating a criminal gang, intimidation, fraud, inciting violence, fighting in public and disorder.
Given what they do to Falun Gong adherents (among others), I’d be curious to see what his punishment is.