As already mentioned in the previous blog, European immigrants were invited and were coming to Paraguay since the 19th Century. The Italian immigrants came in large numbers and established a dairy industry that to this day is mostly controlled by them. Paraguay has excellent dairy products, cheeses, milk and, of course, gelato, the Italian ice cream! Germans also came in large numbers and particularly the German Mennonites who established a large farming colony in the inhospitable Chaco, where the Paraguayans refused to farm, and turned it into a thriving farmland. The main city in the Chaco, Filadelfia, is basically a German town! All around the area, German is the franca lingua! In other regions Germans took up other occupations and the best beer in Paraguay is "Bavaria" brand that was started by German brew-masters. There were other European groups, including Russian who contributed heavily during the Chaco War.
The Asians began to come to Paraguay shortly after the end of the World War Two. By the 1980s the Chinese and the Koreans dominated the small electronics businesses and shops. The Paraguayn shops would all close for "siesta" between 1 and 5 in the afternoon. They would also be closed on Sundays. The Chinese and Koreans stayed open all the time, 7 days a week. Its not hard to figure out who would stay in business and who would not, under such conditions. The Japanese farmed the land in the south and for the first time, quality vegetables and fruits were available in Paraguay year around. Paraguayans themselves freely admit that without the Japanese farmers, they would never be able to enjoy such abundance and quality of fruits and vegetables!
But Paraguay has also seen its share of disreputable characters, fugitives from justice, including Nazis, since the end of World War Two. In the 1980s, besides the aging Nazis, there were known terrorists from the Balkans who moved about freely in Paraguay. Various known groups of Arab terrorists had purchased large tracts of land and established sanctuaries and terrorist training camps! But perhaps the most unlikely criminal element that came to Paraguay was the infamous Chinese Triad, a criminal gang from Hong Kong! There were already some Chinese criminal elements in Paraguay who came with the first wave of Chinese. But they mostly kept a low profile. But not so with the new wave of criminals that arrived in the 1980s.
The name Triad represents Heaven-Earth-Man. The first Triads appeared in the 18th Century China during the Ching Dynasty and were initially organized up to provide help and protection for the helpless population from corrupt government officials. However, it soon evolved into nothing but pure criminal organizations. Some did remain as "neighborhood" associations formed for mutual protection from corrupt authorities. Some of these "neighborhood" associations moved to America and became known as "Tongs." However, Tongs were not the violent criminal organizations that later became so well known through Hollywood and Hong Kong movies. For the most part, they were just that, "neighborhood" associations and more of business organizations providing the Chinese population with banking (loans) and other typical services. But the modern Triads of Hong Kong are a totally different story. Before Hong Kong's reversion to PRC, many of the newer gangs were formed by recently arrived Chinese from the PRC. They were criminals who had to leave Beijing or Shanghai, for they were wanted by PRC authorities. In Hong Kong they found more freedom and also found competition from already established Triads. Naturally turf wars started, and this was when the "new" Triads developed a reputation for violence and ruthlessness, the kind that the older Triads had not seen!
One of the most violent of all Triads was called the "Great Circle Gang." It was established and run by former People's Army members and they stopped at nothing to get what they wanted. However, they were so ambitious that they decided to spread their activities outside of Hong Kong. They began to look elsewhere to set up their criminal activities and Paraguay became one of their choices.
Paraguay in the mid1980s was still very much under the iron fist of the dictator Alfredo Stroessner. His government was corrupt and ruthless in dealing with its population. All of Stroessner's officials were corrupt, and probably the most corrupt of all was his Minister of Interior, Sabino Montanaro. In the mid 1980s Montanaro suddenly developed an interest in things Chinese! His house was filled with various Chinese artifacts and he was often seen dining with Chinese companions in one of the numerous, excellent Chinese restaurants in Asuncion. Montanaro was also often seen in the company of beautiful Chinese girls. In fact, like in a bad movie, Montanaro (who was in his 50s) had two Chinese mistresses! They were twin sisters that were provided to him by the Chinese Triad! They were, in fact, members of the Triad themselves and were tasked to keep an eye on the old lecher!
Montanaro, it turned out, had truly "gone to bed" (not just with the twins!) with the Triad. He had arranged and approved for a high ranking Triad member in Hong Kong to become Paraguay's Consul! As the chief diplomatic officer of Paraguay in Hong Kong, this Triad member issued Paraguayan visas to other Triad members to travel to Paraguay. Additionally, Montanaro had issued Paraguayan Diplomatic Passports to a number of higher ranking Triad members who could travel back and forth unmolested by customs officials on either side! Back in Paraguay, Montanaro was living a high life, dining in fancy Chinese restaurants, always seen with at least one beautiful Chinese girl clinging to his arm. It is said that he received in the neighborhood of one million dollars a year for his cooperation with the Triad. Of course there were other Paraguayan government officials that received money from the Chinese. The president of the country, Alfredo Stroessner himself received a cool million or so a year, and he didn't have to do anything, just look the other way.
In this way, one of the most violent and notorious Triads of Hong Kong moved in on Paraguay. However, their ultimate goal was to spread all over South America and into the United States! After just a few short years in Paraguay, they already began to establish themselves in Sao Paolo, Brazil and had set foot in San Francisco and New York in the United States. In the next blog I will cover this Triad that was known as the "Great Circle Gang."
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