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Triad Trails: Former secret society members lead tour on Chinatown’s seedy past

SINGAPORE — Pointing to a row of shophouses along Pagoda Street leading up to Chinatown MRT Station, a heavily-tattooed man tells the group behind him that the shops used to be opium dens in the 19th century.

Mr Bruce Mathieu (left) and Mr Alvin Chiong will be talking about their experiences with gangs and drugs as they lead the Triad Trails.

Mr Bruce Mathieu (left) and Mr Alvin Chiong will be talking about their experiences with gangs and drugs as they lead the Triad Trails.

  • The walking tour will take participants through Chinatown’s history of secret societies
  • The tour will be led by ex-gang members who will reveal what goes on in gangsters’ lairs
  • The tour runs every Saturday from May 15 and costs S$70

 

SINGAPORE — Pointing to a row of shophouses along Pagoda Street leading up to Chinatown MRT Station, a heavily-tattooed man tells the group behind him that the shops used to be opium dens in the 19th century.

It was a frequent haunt of early Chinese migrants to Singapore, and it is easy to understand why they were hooked to the drug, he says.

“I first tried weed at the age of 13, and I loved the high,” recounts the group’s leader, Mr Bruce Mathieu.

The 52-year-old, whose father is French and mother is Chinese, is intimately familiar with the world of drugs and secret societies, having dabbled with them before.

It is what gives him the credentials to lead a new tour of Chinatown’s seedy underbelly past.

Called Triad Trails, the tour of Chinatown’s storied history is a collaboration between tour group Actxplorer Singapore and social enterprise Architects of Life, which supports ex-offenders.

The one-hour tour will be led by two former offenders who will explain to participants how secret societies came to be in the area, which has since turned into a popular nightlife haunt. They will take participants through five pit stops, including Amoy Street and Sago Street.

At the same time, the guides will also share their personal experiences of being in gangs and their journey to reform themselves.

For one of the guides, Mr Alvin Chiong, the tour is a chance for him to prove to other ex-offenders that those with a criminal past can still move on.

“My motto is to always do things that I never did before. That’s how I learn and I want to bring out this message to ex-offenders who may take over this project in future,” the 50-year-old told TODAY in an interview last week.

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PICKED UP GLUE SNIFFING AT 10

Mr Chiong, who is a chef at social enterprise M2 Café, has been jailed four times between 1998 and 2008 for various offences, including drug abuse and possession of drug utensils.

He picked up glue sniffing at the age of 10 after falling into bad company around his neighbourhood at Old Airport Road. His gang then introduced him to other drugs such as marijuana and heroin.

He eventually kicked his drug habit in 2010 with help from Watchman’s Home halfway house.

Mr Chiong said that as he researched secret societies in Chinatown, he realised that he understood why early migrants to Singapore joined secret societies upon arriving in Singapore.

“When they join a gang or clan, they feel secure. There is a brotherhood there and a sense of belonging. It’s something I can relate to given my personal experience,” he said.

While the tour might give the impression that it glamourises gangs, Mr Chiong said: “It may look glamorous on the outside but we want to share with people what actually happens behind closed doors.”

Mr Mathieu said he is not hesitant to share his history with strangers as he does not want to put his past behind him.

“Many times, I forgot about the suffering and pain that I had to endure in prison and the unnecessary misery my family had to go through because of me… So for me, I take the other approach. I try to remember as much as I can,” said Mr Mathieu, who now works at The Living Well Cafe.

Tour guide Alvin Chiong leading participants on the Triad Trail tour on April 28, 2021. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY

STOLE PASSPORTS FOR OVERSEAS SYNDICATE

Like Mr Chiong, he, too, started abusing drugs from the young age of 13, having been introduced to marijuana by his gang.

But that marked the beginning of all his problems, he said.

He “lied, stole, robbed and cheated” to financially support his drug addiction.

For example, as part of an illegal passport syndicate, he would disguise himself as a security guard at hotels and take people’s passports under the guise of checking them. These passports would eventually be sent to a syndicate in Thailand, he said.

But his criminal activities came to a halt in 2013 when it dawned on him that he could not be a good father to his daughter, who was then aged three, if he was going to be in prison all the time.

The self-declared “extreme extrovert” said that he agreed to play tour guide as he could not resist the opportunity to share his story with people.

Moreover, he also has a personal connection to Chinatown. The kindergarten he attended was at Telok Ayer and his grandfather ran a shop which sold handmade noodles and popiah skin along China Street.

The tour culminates in a meal between ex-offenders and tour participants at Genius Central restaurant at Amoy Street.

Participants are promised a “no-holds-barred conversation” with their guides, but one question is off the table, said Mr Mathieu. And that is the name of his former secret society.

“What is that knowledge for? If it benefits you in a certain way, then I will answer the question,” said Mr Mathieu who has renounced his gang affiliations.

Mr Mathieu and Mr Chiong will take turns to lead the tours, which run every Saturday from May 15.

The first one is fully booked but subsequent tours are still available at S$70. The tickets may be purchased with SingapoRediscovers vouchers.

Ms Aditi Rao, 35, a project executive at Architects of Life, said that the team plans to recruit more ex-offenders to serve as guides in future, and also encourage schools with at-risk youth to join the tour.

Related topics

gangs gangster Triad Trails Chinatown drugs crime

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