TWELVE people stood trial at Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court on Monday, accused of a string of organized crimes including murders, extortions and robberies in Shajing, Bao’an District.

Seven of the defendants were also accused of being members of the Shajing branch of Sun Yee On, one of the leading triads in Hong Kong. Monday’s trial marked the first of a series of trials of Sun Yee On members after Shenzhen police announced the crackdown on the Shajing branch in March, which led to the arrests of 102 triad members, including suspected gang leader Chen Yaodong and key members.

Prosecutors said Monday that Jiang Qingru, leader of the 12 accused, headed a team of five hitmen in the killing of business rival Jiang Zhaonan on Sept. 27, 2009.

Convinced that Jiang Zhaonan had led a group of people to vandalize his bottled gas shop in a perceived bid to drive him out of the market, Jiang Qingru ordered his men to follow Jiang Zhaonan’s car after the latter attended a wedding dinner, prosecutors said. When the cars were waiting for a green light at an intersection near Bao’an Boulevard, two of the hitmen allegedly hacked Jiang Zhaonan with knives and a third shot him twice.

Jiang Qingru and his men were also accused of forcing a restaurant owner surnamed Lan to pay a total of 255,400 yuan (US$40,860) in protection fees between 2004 and 2008. In order to intimidate Lan, the gang allegedly vandalized the restaurant and released flying birds to scare away guests during a wedding dinner.

The gang was also accused of killing a man and seriously injuring another in an attack at a bar in Shajing in 2008 following a scuffle with the bar’s staff members. Jiang Qingru and four of his men allegedly attacked another business rival, surnamed Chen, who was stabbed multiple times in the leg in 2009.

Nine government officials in Shajing, including former Shajing Party chief Liu Shaoxiong, have been implicated in Sun Yee On crimes in the subdistrict. They allegedly received bribes from Sun Yee On members in exchange for protection and contracts.

The nine officials and other ringleaders and members of Shajing’s Sun Yee On are still under investigation. Reports said triad assets worth several hundred million yuan have been frozen.  (Lin Min)