Two out of hospital as police probe triad link to park battle

TWO Chinese men treated for severe facial injuries after suspected gang violence erupted at a children's play area in Edinburgh have been discharged from hospital.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd May 2006, 01:00 BST

Police were today investigating whether Triad gangs were linked to the violence which saw Saughton Park turn into a battlefield as around eight heavily armed men fought with knives and machetes.

Police were alerted by members of the public, arrived at the scene and found three men lying in pools of blood.

The two men released from hospital are aged 29 and 34.

A 40-year-old man is still being cared for at the ERI.

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It has been reported they could be members of the notoriously violent Chinese criminal gangs who have links with drug dealing, prostitution, gambling and people trafficking.

A police spokesman said that Edinburgh did not have a problem with Triad gangs but that any link would be investigated. No arrests have yet been made.

He said: "We are talking to members of the Chinese community to try and help us to establish why the fight took place. We will be trying to establish if there are Triad links."

The Saughton Park clash took place shortly after midnight on Sunday. One of the injured suffered a fractured skull, another had puncture wounds on his hands and arms while the third had been slashed across the face.

The Triads are one of the world's biggest and most feared organised crime networks,

and have been blamed for a surge in recent worldwide credit card fraud and people smuggling crimes, including demanding high payments to smuggle Chinese immigrants into the UK.

Related topics:EdinburghPolice