ACCESSION NUMBER:260435
FILE ID:EPF205
DATE:12/29/92
TITLE:ASIAN CRIME GROUPS THREATEN THE U.S. AND THE WORLD (12/29/92)
TEXT:*92122905.EPF
*EPF205   12/29/92 *

ASIAN CRIME GROUPS THREATEN THE U.S. AND THE WORLD
(Article on Senate Report, press release)  (590)
By Jane A. Morse
USIA Staff Writer
Washington -- Organized Asian crime groups are posing a serious threat to
the United States as well as the international community, according to a
Senate subcommittee report released December 29.

The report was released by Senator Sam Nunn (Democrat of Georgia), chairman
of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and Senator William V.
Roth Jr., (Republican of Delaware), ranking Republican on the subcommittee.
 Entitled "The New International Criminal and Asian Organized Crime," the
study concludes a 15-month long investigation into Asian organized crime.

"Our investigation leads to an inescapable conclusion:  Asian criminal
groups today represent a problem of dramatic proportions, both in the
1nited States and internationally," Roth said.  "These criminal groups are
involved in a wide range of criminal activities, including narcotics
trafficking, money laundering, bribery, business extortion, alien
smuggling, home invasion robberies, computer chip theft, and credit card
counterfeiting."

The report concludes that "current law enforcement responses are
inadequate."  Problems confronting U.S. law enforcement agencies include
lack of foreign language expertise, inadequate knowledge of Asian cultures
and customs, and limited success in gathering or sharing criminal
intelligence.

The report calls for improved international law enforcement cooperation.
According to Nunn, "not enough progress has been made in establishing
formal cooperative relationships among those law enforcement bodies willing
to address this problem."

Roth noted that "Asian criminal groups personify a major new threat
confronting law enforcement around the globe.  These new international
criminals, with the aid of modern technology, such as satellite telephones,
pagers, and encrypted fax machines, easily communicate with their
associates around the globe.  Taking advantage of relaxed international
travel restrictions as well as the greatly increased volume of
international trade, these new international criminals treat national
borders as nothing more than minor inconveniences to their own criminal
enterprises."

Among the international initiatives recommended by the report:
-- Consideration should be given to expanding the anti-crime role and
authority of the United Nations and Interpol, an international message
exchange intermediary among police agencies.

-- Expanded exchanges of law enforcement personnel should be encouraged.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) should consider increasing the
number of law enforcement officers from foreign counties who attend the
FBI's National Academy.

-- The FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service should consider
expanded roles for their personnel stationed in U.S. embassies in Southeast
Asian countries.  To avoid and resolve conflicts among the various
agencies, the State Department must exercise more effective control.

-- Those countries which effectively serve as sanctuaries for international
criminals by their refusal to extradite such criminals or to prosecute
those within their boundaries should be subject to international sanctions.

-- Major efforts are necessary to improve law enforcement cooperation with
Taiwan.  Congress should amend the Taiwan Relations Act to allow the United
States and Taiwan to enter an extradition agreement.

-- "Anemic Japanese law enforcement efforts against Boryokudan gangs have
had an adverse impact on the United States," according to the report.  The
executive branch should negotiate formal and informal agreements with Japan
to improve law enforcement cooperation and intelligence sharing.  In
addition, the State Department should amend current visa regulations to
make Boryokudan membership an independent basis for denying a visa.

-- Negotiations should be completed as soon as possible to ensure law
enforcement cooperation between the United States and Hong Kong after 1997.
 U.S. consular and immigration officials must increase efforts to prevent
triad members from entering the United States.

NNNN

.