Triad 10 Principles
In 2018. when Angel was 50, she was appointed to the Shansen, the ruling council of the Triad movement. One of her acts was to establish the Ten (Angelic) Principles as the ruling code for how the Triad Houses operate. These principles are in addition to the 36 Oaths. The 36 Oaths lay down how individual Triad members are expected to conduct themselves; the Ten Principles rule how the movement as a whole conducts itself. The similarity between the Ten Principles and the principles of Peelian Policing was noted at the time and have formed the basis for some learned discussions in sociology courses.
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In order to attain the Triad Movement's overall objective of restoring Ming and opposing Ch'ing by maximizing the power and influence of the movement while minimizing its exposure to its enemies, the Triad Houses are required:
1. To recognize the absolute necessity of preventing overt public disorder that will otherwise bring about repression by government force and escalating severity of legal punishment.
2. To recognize always that the successful operation of Triad enterprises is dependent on public approval of their existence, actions, and behavior, and on their ability to secure and maintain public goodwill and respect. If this approval is lost for any reason, the future of Triad enterprises is fatally compromised.
3. To recognize always that to secure and maintain the respect and approval of the public means also the securing of the willing co-operation of the public in the conduct of the Triad operations and enterprises.
4. To recognize always that the extent to which the co-operation of the public can be secured diminishes proportionately the necessity of the use of physical force and compulsion for achieving Triad objectives.
5. To seek and preserve public favor by ready offering of individual service and friendship to all members of the public without regard to their wealth or social standing, by ready exercise of courtesy and friendly good humor, and by ready offering of individual sacrifice in protecting and preserving life and public welfare.
6. To use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to obtain public co-operation and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion for achieving a Triad objective. The penalties resulting from the use of force must always be weighed against the benefits accrued from doing so.
7. To maintain at all times a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the Triads and the Chinese community are part of the same larger whole and share a joint interest in promoting community welfare and existence. The most important such interest is maintaining tranquility so that the community is confident it can go about its daily life undisturbed.
8. To recognize always the need for strict attention to a public perception of fairness and natural justice, to avoid at all costs the appearance of exploiting the powers of the Triad houses by judging guilt and punishing the guilty for their own benefit and to the disadvantage of the community
9. To recognize always that the success of Triad operations is maintenance of profitability in the absence of obvious crime and disorder, and not the visible evidence of Triad actions in progress.
10. To recognize always that any individual can choose to withdraw his or her consent from the support of Triad operations at any time and thus the maintenance of mutually respectful and amiable cooperation between the Triads and the community must be the highest priority at all times.