Hong Kong business opportunities

Monday, two factions of the Wo Shing Wo, a triad gang, showed up at the brand-new Kwai Chung Public Mortuary. Why so? To bury the dead? Not on Monday.

According to government statistics, the death rate in Hong Kong has remained steady at about 0.5 percent of the population for the past decade. That translates to around 34,000 deaths a year. If 95 percent of the families chose the HK$30,000 average service that includes cremation, the business would result in at least HK$969 million a year.

In Hong Kong, the sales end of the funeral business is often controlled by triads. They point the bereaved to regular funeral directors, florists, car-hire, whatever. And, of course, take a commission on all the business they drum up. Apparently, there is an internal struggle between the local Tsuen Wan faction which wants the new Kwai Chung Mortuary business now in their locality, and the Hunghom faction that did the business at the now-closed Hunghom Public Mortuary. Report.