Salakau

Salakau
Founding locationSingapore
Years active1970s–present
TerritorySingapore
EthnicityPredominately Chinese with some Malays and Indians
Activities
  • Narcotics
  • Extortion
  • Prostitution
  • White-collar crime and legitimate businesses
Salakau
Chinese三六九
Traditional Chinese三六九
Simplified Chinese三六九
Literal meaningThree-six-nine
Transcriptions
Southern Min
Hokkien POJSaⁿ-la̍k-káu
Tâi-lôSann-la̍k-káu
Bbánlám PìngyīmSnālákkáo
Teochew Peng'imSan1 lag8 gau2

Salakau (Chinese: 三六九; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Saⁿ-la̍k-káu), which means 369 in Hokkien, also known as "Sah Lak Kau", is a street gang or secret society based in Singapore. The numbers 3, 6 and 9 add up to 18, which was the name of an older gang; the number signified the 18 arhats (principal disciples) of Shaolin Monastery. As one of the oldest and most prominent gangs in the country, they are known to take part in many illicit activities such as narcotics, extortion, prostitution and white-collar crime — and many of their members have been in and out of prison for violent attacks and rioting. They have a renowned gang chant sung in Hokkien that is usually accompanied by techno beats, particularly the song "Million Tears".[1] It was reproduced for Royston Tan's teenage gangster flick 15, albeit with direct references to the gang edited out.[2]

  1. ^ Quek, Hykel (25 October 2023). "How Eurodance Hit 'Million Tears' Became a Singaporean Gang Anthem".
  2. ^ Ooi Boon, Tan (18 May 1993). "The name game : from sports teams and rock bands to secret societies". Straits Times