Altars and Outlaws: Ben Sando on Taiwan’s Underworld – Gangs, Temples, and Political Influence – S5-E35

We’ll let Benjamin Sando, research fellow at the Global
Taiwan Institute, and our guest for this week’s episode,
describe the topic:





“From the early days of Han Taiwanese society, through
the period of Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) martial law and on to
the era of democratization, the influence of Taiwan’s gangs has
evolved. The activity of some gangs (but not all)
has spread beyond extracting profit from local
territory – through extortion, prostitution, and gambling – to
international transactions involving drug, arms, and human
trafficking. This has sowed connections between certain Taiwanese
gangs and foreign actors, such as Chinese triads and government
officials engaging in united front work for the People’s Republic
of China (PRC). As elections become more competitive in
Taiwan, gangs have leveraged their control of prominent Taiwanese
temples to influence politicians seeking support from religious
communities. Such deep-rooted connections between gangs
and local communities obstruct democratic development based on
transparency and open debate, especially in Taiwan’s rural
areas.”





NOTE: This episode has been significantly edited to attempt to
adhere to the mostly non-political official stance of the Formosa
Files podcast. To hear/watch the full one-hour, almost unedited
version, visit Kaohsiung Times “Long-Form” “Formosa Files.”