KEY POINTS:
Chinese community leaders met yesterday to discuss ways to distance their communities from Peter Low.
And the chief executive of a broadcasting station wants an apology from the man who suggested using triads to combat crime.
This follows the resignation of at least three committee members of the
Asian Anti-crime Group (AAG) after Mr Low, the group's chairman, said it would use triad gangs and vigilante groups if the Government and police did not act on crime.
The list of the group's committee members was also removed from its website yesterday.
"We all feel that we have been cheated by Peter Low to support his personal objectives, and today we want to state publicly that we have nothing to do with him or the AAG," said Chong Bao Hu, head of the Central Auckland Chinese Association, one of 25 community leaders at the meeting in Balmoral.
"His ideas of doing things is not the New Zealand way, and it certainly is not the Chinese way.
"He does not represent us or the Asian community."
He added: "We went for the march organised by Mr Low, braving the cold and rain, to support the call for tougher sentences on crime - not to be manipulated by a man we don't even know."
Mr Chong said the group would also be releasing a collective statement "to make it very clear we are strongly against the involvement of triads, gangs, vigilantes and other unlawful groups".
Those at the meeting were among the 10,000 who took part in the group's march in Botany Downs calling on the Government to get tough on crime, but said they did not know Mr Low or had even heard of the AAG.
"Crime getting out of control is a central concern of the Asian community, so it didn't matter whether it is Mr Low or anyone else who organised a protest, we would have been there to support it," said Sun Lin Feng from the North East Chinese Society.
"But talking about using triads is ridiculous and takes the attention away from the message.
"No one in our community can support any group operating unlawfully in New Zealand."
Chu Zi Gang, representing the Panmure Chinese Association, said many in his group felt let down by the Chinese Voice radio station because promotions it for of the march did not "give the full picture".
But Charles Chan, a friend of Mr Low who was at the meeting, defended him,
"Peter may not have said things in the right way, but he was the one responsible for bringing the serious issue of crime on Asians on to the table, and into the media, which we are discussing today."
Gary Chang, chief executive of World Television, which operates Chinese Voice, went on air for an hour on Monday to clarify the station's position.
"We backed the protest march because we wanted to support the many talkback callers to our station who said they are victims of crime and feel very helpless because the police and Government are not doing anything" he said in Mandarin.
"We did not know anything about Mr Low's plans to use triads, a suggestion which I doubt he meant when he said it."
Mr Chang said he should retract the suggestion of bringing in the triads, and apologise for misleading the community.
Last night, Mr Low said he was not going to apologise and blamed politicians for "breaking the unity of the people".
"I never said I represented the Chinese people, they can do what they like, I am not too worried." He said the AAG was on track with its plans - and will be "coming up with results to show that in the near future".
