A Triad supergrass today (Thurs.) revealed for th

A Triad supergrass today (Thurs.

) revealed for the first time
in public the ancient blood letting two hour initiation ceremony of
the Chinese secret society.

George Cheung, a self confessed hitman for the Chinese mafia,
knows the punishment for his betrayal of his oaths of loyalty to them
is death, an Old Bailey jury heard.

Cheung said that he was part of a group of ten novice Triads
who were all enrolled on one night.

The bizarre ceremony took place in the basement of the
Princess Garden Chinese restaurant in Greyhound Rd.

, Fulham,
London SW.

It was conducted by the owner Lo Ng who was known
as ‘Number 5.

‘
Cheung, a slightly built, bestpectacled man with short
cropped hair said that he felt scared when he agreed to join
the Shui Fong Triads.

‘All the furniture was moved aside except for 1 table
where Shui Fong members who were to witness the ceremony
were sitting.

We were told to take all out clothes off except
for our underpants.

All jewellery, earrings and necklaces
had to be removed,’he said.

The court heard that round peices of paper were placed
on the floor in front of each novice in the shape of a triangle.

‘There was an altar, which was a piece of red paper with
Chinese writing all over it.

This was taped to the wall.

A table was covered with red paper.

On the table was a pot
with burning joss sticks, there was wine, a knife and a
piece of paper cut in the shape of a man,’ he said.

Cheung recalled how he was shown by his Dai Lo (big brother)
how to kneel onto the peices of paper in front of him.

He was
told to put his right foot on one piece, his left knee on
another and his left foot on the third piece.

He was ordered to hold a burning joss stick with four
fingers of his left hand and five from his right.

‘We were told to repeat oaths by number 5.

I did not
understand the oaths as they were in an old traditional Chinese
dialect,’ he said.

It was only later that he was told what the most
important oathss were.

‘The oath was never to betray a brother, never to steal from
a brother and never to comit adultery with a brother’s wife.

If we
broke these oaths we would be punished severly.

I was told I
would be crippled or killed.

‘
The court heard that the Triads saw themselves as a family
and each member was called a brother.

Those higher up had the titles
of big brother and grandfather.

‘The middle finger of my left hand was pricked with a pin.

When it was bleeding I was told to dip it into a glass of
wine.

I was then told to put it in my mouth.

I was asked how
it tasted.

I copied the answer of the person before me and replied
sweet,’ he added.

Number 5 then slapped each novice on his back with the flat
of the blade of the knife.

‘Before this Number 5 made a statement.

He said that if
one of our brothers was in trouble and the police seek him and were
willing to pay money for information would you prefer the money
or your brother.

What do you want? I followed what the first
person said and answered brother.

I was then slapped on
the back with the blade.

‘
The new members were then given a terrifying
symbolic demonstration of what would happen if they betrayed
the Triads.

‘The owner took the piece of paper in the shape of a man from
the table.

He said that this was an informer, who had betrayed
his brothers.

He asked if the penalty should be death.

A few people
chanted death.

Number five said ”louder” and we all chanted
death.

He took the knife and hacked the piece of paper to
bits,’ said Cheung.

The court heard that Cheung’s big brother, actor Wai Ming
Tang, 36, who was known as ‘Flying Man’ then performed a bizarre
symbolic Triad ritual.

The round peices of paper were moved
and rearranged to represent stepping stones in a river under
a bridge.

‘He held my hand and led me across telling me which piece
of paper to step on.

This was significant to the Triads.

If
you are confronted by another Triad who is bullying you, you ask
him riddles like ”why don’t you cross the bridge.

” This is
a secret code in case nobody believes you are a Triad.

‘
Cheung revealed that on the bridge a soldier was said to
be standing but modern day Triads have now replaced the imaginary
figure with a policeman.

‘My big brother then taught me about the secret signs Triads
used.

One sign was to show you were a number 49, the lowest rank in
Triad society.

It involved holding up your left hand and
showing four fingers.

At the same time you held up your
right with the palm facing outwards showing five fingers.

‘
Cheung said a Triad pointing at soemone with their
forefinger meant he was going to die or suffer serious harm.

‘We were told not to point with the forefinger.

We had to
use the middle finger if we pointed at anyone.

I was told I would
be punished if I used the forefinger, ‘ he went on.

He said that he paid 36 pounds 60 pence to Tang and the
same amount to the owner as a joining fee.

‘There is a significance to the amount but I don’t know what
it is,’ he said.

The court heard that Cheung a chef first became involved
with the Triads in March 90.

His best friend Ricky Haw had been
threatened by Triads who had been hired by the boyfriend of
his ex girlfriend.

‘The boyfriend was jealous.

He had paid money to Triads to harm
us.

I went to my uncle for advice.

He said that the only way I could
avoid Triads was to join a Triad gang who would look after me,’
Cheung said.

The court heard that a meeting was arranged at a Triad
gambling den in London’s chinatown.

There the two friends met Tang
and agreed to join the Triads.

Three weeks later they were put
through the initiation ceremony.

In the dock are Chong Chi Chan,24, from Sheffield, Tang
from Manchester, Shui Cheung Wan known as Jason Wan from
Holloway, North London, Wai Wan Ho,41, of Maida Vale, London NW,
Wai Yuen Liu,30, of Southampton and Tak Kam Chow,40, of
Southgate, North London.

They all deny conspiracy to shoot a
rival gang boss from Hong Kong with intent to cause him
grievous bodily harm.

The court heard that Cheung was the hitman who carried
out the attack on Ying Kit Lam in London’s Chinatown last September.

Cheung hit Lam with four shots and the Triad boss is now
recuperating back in Hong Kong.

It was alleged that
Lam had come to Britain to try and take over the Shui Fong.

Cheung, 27, said that he was told by his ‘big brother’ Tang
in March 91 to join a gun club so he could become familiar with
firearms.

‘They wanted me to get used to handling guns .

I went once a
week for five weeks.

I had lessons how to shoot a .

38 revolver,’
he said.

The court heard that he was chosen to shoot Lam, the
rival gang boss, because Lam did not know he was a member of
the Shui Fong because Cheung was not known to Lam.

‘I was told the Shui Fong wanted to teach him a lesson.

They wanted him crippled to warn him and his friends off because
he wanted to run the Shui Fong in England,’ said Cheung.

Cheung revealed that there was a power struggle in the
Shui Fong Triads which resulted in him being ordered to cripple
30 year old Mr.

Lam so he would never walk again.

‘I was told that Lam had influenced people in the Shui Fong to
go on his side.

He was slowly taking over,’ said Cheung.

Cheung said that he had a meeting on Aug 4 last year
with two senior members of the Shui Fong.

Ngau Gor, who had
title grandfather, and another man he named as V.

J.

Pang.

‘I was shown three photographs of Lam.

They just told
me I was going to shoot him.

I had never met the man.

Ngau Gor
said that he wanted him shot in the back of the spine and then
in the backside or groin depending on how he fell.

‘
Cheung went on: ‘Ngau Gor told me not to shoot to kill but
to shoot to cripple him.

He hoped Lam would never walk again.

He said that if he did die it would be his own bad luck.

‘
The court heard that Cheung was shown a list with 4 names
on it by Ngau Gor.

Lam was No 4 on the list.

Cheung revealed that number
one related to when he slashed a man’s face with 2
stanley knives taped together.

He said that Ngau Gor told him that after the shooting he
would take him on holiday.

‘I was told that afterwards I was to keep a low profile and
keep out of the way.

Ngau Gor said he would need a holiday after
sorting Lam out and I was to go with him,’ Cheung added.

The trial continues tomorrow Friday.

ENDS
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