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David Wa-Lin Po

David Wa-Lin "Uncle" Po (1935-2012) was the Chairman of the Sun

On Yee triad of Hong Kong from 1981 to 2012, succeeding Three Tigers and preceding Two Chin Tsao. He was a respected underworld boss who led his triad for over 30 years, but he had a secret agreement with HKPD superintendent Thomas Pendrew, who helped him in seizing power in exchange for Po turning over some triad leaders to him. He was murdered by Pendrew in 2012 in order to prevent Po from unwittingly exposing his corruption to undercover HKPD officer Wei Shen, who was a trusted Red Pole in the triad.

Biography[]

David Wa-Lin Po was born in 1935 in Hong Kong, and he was a veteran member of the Sun On Yee triad. He rose to the rank of Red Pole, and he was a candidate for chairman in 1981. That year, he decided to help the Hong Kong Police Department officer Thomas Pendrew by selling out fellow triad leaders in order to gain power for himself, and Pendrew was promoted to HKPD superintendent as Po was promoted to Chairman of the Sun On Yee triad. He was granted immunity by the HKPD in return for limiting street violence, and he focused on charitable causes and business agendas instead of murder.

By 2012, however, the Sun On Yee gang was divided between Winston Chu's Water Street Gang and Dogeyes Lin's Jade Gang, which fought each other in bloody gang warfare. This struggle was instigated by Red Pole Big Smile Lee, who hoped to seize power for himself. Uncle Po himself was injured at Winston Chu's wedding, in which the Jade Gang massacred the guests, including the bride and groom themselves. He stayed in the hospital over the next few weeks, and he had his savior Wei Shen promoted to Red Pole. However, Uncle Po had to return to the hospital, and HKPD superintendnent Pendrew decided to silence him to advance his career. Pendrew injected lethal chemicals into Uncle Po's IV, killing him and preventing him from exposing his corruption.

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