A Macau triad boss known as "Broken Tooth" has walked free from jail after serving more than 14 years behind bars for heading a gang blamed for a string of murders and bombings in the former Portuguese colony. The release of Wan Kuok-koi on Saturday has triggered tightened security in the world's biggest gaming hub, although experts say it is unlikely Macau will witness a return to the violence seen before the city returned to Chinese rule in 1999. Al Jazeera's Caroline Malone reports. Source, credit to Aljazeera- http://www.aljazeera.com/video FAIR USE NOTICE: This video has been posted to further advance our understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, Technological, democratic, scientific, and social justice issues which constitutes a "fair use" of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 for research and educational purposes. THE notorious Macau crime boss known as Broken Tooth Koi, who was released from prison Saturday after serving nearly 15 years, will hardly recognize the city he terrorized in the late 1990s with a brutal gangland war. Wan Kuok-koi was convicted of loan sharking, money laundering and being a gang leader in November 1999, a month before Portugal handed control of Macau, its colony for more than four centuries, back to Beijing and long before the sleepy enclave welcomed international operators to build the modern resorts that have made it a gambling mecca. As head of Macau's 14K triad, Wan waged a brutal war with rival triads, or organised crime gangs, for dominance of the lucrative VIP rooms in Macau's casinos. He was arrested shortly after a bomb destroyed the car of Macau's director of investigative police, who was out jogging when the vehicle exploded and was unscathed by the assassination attempt. Wan walked out of Coloane Prison in Saturday's gray dawn, flashed a faint smile and refused to answer questions from reporters before speeding away in a white Lexus. According to news reports in Macau and nearby Hong Kong, authorities have been preparing for his release by warning hotels and casinos to tighten security and plan to keep a close eye on him after he gets out. Officials including one from Beijing's liaison office with Macau have also warned Wan, now in his late 50s, to behave after his release, the reports said. The measures are a response to fears that Wan's release would be followed by a return to the pre-handover gang violence that rocked Macau and claimed dozens of lives, including 37 in 1999 alone. Some worry he'll try to get involved again with junkets, which arrange for wealthy mainly Chinese gamblers to come to Macau, lend them money and make big profits by collecting on debts. But analysts say upon his return to society, he'll likely find he has lost much of his power and influence following Macau's decade-long transformation from a seedy and corrupt crime-ridden backwater into the world's top gambling market. Macau's decision to end a four-decade casino monopoly in 2002 opened the way for foreign operators to modernise the industry. Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts International and Wynn Resorts have all opened glitzy resorts in recent years. Macau is the only place in China where gambling is legal. "Wan Kuok-koi is yesterday's man," said Steve Vickers, a former head of intelligence at Hong Kong's police force who is now chief executive of business intelligence and risk consultancy SVA. "Whilst he remains connected with his previous gang members, there is just no room for the wild bunch in Macau anymore. He will be neutralized should he create trouble," said Mr Vickers, who noted that while Wan has been in prison, Macau's gambling revenues have rocketed from $US2.5 billion ($2.4 billion) in 2002 to $US33.5 billion last year, more than five times the amount earned on the Las Vegas Strip. Source http://www.heraldsun.com.au Read more here http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/notorious-macau-gangster-broken-tooth-wan-kuok-koi-released-from-prison/story-e6frf7k6-1226528169688

• published: 01 Dec 2012
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