Slain man was triad enforcer

A man gunned down near his karaoke bar in central Auckland yesterday was a triad gang enforcer released from prison less than a year ago for attacking two men with a meat cleaver.

Police say the murder of Tam Yam Ah, 37, may have been a revenge killing - one of several theories they have for the motive.

Tam was shot in a carpark behind his business premises - the Top Karaoke Bar, and a brothel - at 149 Symonds St shortly before 4.45am yesterday.

Police alleged four years ago that Tam was a senior triad member.

A High Court judge concluded that he was an enforcer for the notorious 14K gang and sentenced him to six years' prison.

He already had five convictions for violence against six people over a nine-year period, and had previously been jailed for three years.

Tam was released from prison last October after serving the mandatory two-thirds of his sentence for the attack on Yuan Chang and Yu Shan Cheng at a karaoke bar.

He lived in an apartment above the carpark and had just arrived home with a female friend he had picked up from her work.

The woman was sitting in Tam's silver BMW and he was outside the vehicle when a man wearing a balaclava approached him and fired one shot into his chest.

The person ran from the carpark to Symonds St.

A police dog traced a scent to a covered driveway in nearby Glenside Crescent. A piece of clothing was removed from the driveway by police yesterday.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Benefield said Tam had died before an ambulance arrived at the scene.

Tam was a part-owner of the karaoke bar and another business in the building, which police said had been a brothel.

They were unsure whether it was still operating.

Tam also owned the Flower City Chinese restaurant in Anzac Ave.

Mr Benefield said robbery did not appear to be a motive in the murder.

The karaoke bar was closed at the time of the killing. A sign on the door states it is usually open from 6pm to 3am on weekdays and until "late" on Friday and Saturday.

Local resident Alex Jacobsen said casually-dressed, young Asian men were often outside the bar smoking but he was not aware of any trouble in the past.

Mr Jacobsen, 18, said he did not hear the gunshot or any commotion.

Other businesses in the block along the busy arterial route said their business hours did not coincide with those of the karaoke bar.

Shop-keepers, many Chinese or Korean, said they were not aware of any major problems with crime in the area.

Mr Benefield said police were still reviewing the evidence of Tam's female friend, an eye-witness to the killing. She was yesterday being helped by Victim Support.

Police had also spoken to a "number of people" around the area at the time, including people living in upstairs flats overlooking the carpark.

A police spokeswoman last night said all aspects of Tam's life would be investigated and his victims in the meat cleaver attack would be among the people contacted.

Tam was found guilty of attacking Cheng and Chang at the Heaven Paradise karaoke restaurant in Albert St, central Auckland, in August 2000.

Justice Robert Fisher, sentencing Tam in the High Court at Auckland in 2001, imposed a six-year jail term as a warning to Asian crime syndicates that their tactics would not work in this country.

"These syndicates rely heavily for their success upon the climate of fear in sections of the community on whom they prey."

Based on evidence from the Auckland Asian Crime Unit, Justice Fisher concluded Tam was an "enforcer for the 14K gang".

The judge said the attack came after a group of Cantonese-speaking Chinese were unhappy at the singing and behaviour of Taiwanese people in the karaoke restaurant.

There was an argument and a restaurant worker asked Tam to come and sort out the problem.

He arrived and took a meat cleaver from the kitchen and told the Taiwanese men to get out.

When one of them said something to Tam, he struck Chang on the side of the face with the flat of the cleaver, splitting the skin of his cheek.

He ran down the street after the men and attacked Cheng, slashing the left side of his face, before backing off.

Police would like to hear from anyone with information about the killer.

They can call freephone number 0800 4 TOP CITY (0800 4 867 248) to reach the investigation team.