HONG KONG: Three cops. Triad links. And a climactic shoot-out that leaves two of them dead.

That, in essence, is the theme of the 2002 Hong Kong blockbuster Infernal Affairs, which was a hit overseas.

Now, Hong Kong residents are gripped by a similar tale; only, it is a shoot-out involving real-life policemen which left two dead and the other in a critical condition.

This is how the sequence of events unfolded:

At 1:15 am last Friday, constable Tsui Po-ko, off duty but wearing a wig, and patrol police officer Tsang Kwok-hang are found shot dead in an underpass in Hong Kong's bustling Tsim Sha Tsui area. Tsang's partner Sin Ka-keung is slumped nearby, grievously injured.

Police infer that Tsui fired the first shots, three in all, killing Tsang but not before the latter had returned fire with five bullets and hitting Sin in the face and leg.

Both of Sin's shots missed their target.

There is more intrigue: The gun used by Tsui was the service revolver of constable Leung Shing-yan, found murdered on duty in March 2001. Leung was hit by five of the six shots fired with his own gun when he went to probe a bogus noise complaint in a building.

The revolver was never found, but police said it was used to shoot the security guard of a bank that was looted nine months later. During the inquiry, about 2,000 police officers were questioned, but Tsui was not one of them.

The answer to what led to the gunfight may rest with Sin, who is still not in a condition to speak, according to police.

Tsui intended to ambush the two officers and steal their guns and was wearing a wig to hide his identity, said police.

Posted at Hong Kong Disneyland and living in a flat nearby, Tsui was an outstanding officer. So why did he resort to such action? Was it personal greed? Was he involved with a triad? Did his criminal life begin with the killing of Leung? Or, was he part of a racket even before that?

There is other conjecture.

Tsui excelled in his promotion qualifying examinations in 2000. In fact, he was ranked second but never promoted. Was the shooting a result of anger at being denied a promotion? Or, was he denied a promotion because senior officers doubted his integrity?

Each passing day has brought new revelations of suspicious activities, of an underground gambling ring possibly involving other officers, and evidence of calculated efforts to stage the Tsim Sha Tsui shootout and other attacks.

All this comes at a time when the police force is up against a host of other problem, including difficulty in finding new recruits, low morale and increasing job pressure that has forced a number of officers to take their own lives in recent years.

When police officers rushed to the scene of Friday's crime, they found a grisly sight. Sin was slumped on the ground in the blood-splattered tunnel, not far from where Tsui had fallen, while Tsang was lying a few steps away. Their weapons had not been stolen, and police confirmed there was no fourth person involved in the gunfight.

All three men were rushed to nearby Queen Elizabeth hospital, but within minutes, Tsang died after choking on blood from the head injury, and Tsui of lung and heart injuries. Sin was in a critical state, though he has regained consciousness and his condition is stable.

Whatever was the reason behind the gunbattle, the attack appears to have been pre-planned. Unconfirmed reports say that mirrors inside the subway, which allow people to see blind spots as they walk by, had been adjusted to conceal the spot where the gunfight took place.

Though latest police reports have confirmed that Tsui didn't have an accomplice, it's not clear why Tsang's gun, which had been fired five times, was found in its holster. Some attributed it to good training, as Tsang, still conscious after being shot, managed to return fire, felled Tsui, and put the gun back with one bullet left, and pressed the alert on police walkie-talkie. But police did not confirm who of Tsang and Sin or both sent the alert.

Though top officers have refused to confirm it, Tsui was said in the media to be a member of an underground soccer gambling syndicate. Some other police officers, too, are reportedly involved with the syndicate.

Detectives from Hong Kong's Organized Crime and Triad Bureau have since interviewed a number of Tsui's former colleagues, but have not made their findings public.

After the shoot-out, police raided Tsui's house in Tung Chung and confiscated clothes for forensic tests. They seized a computer, too, to check the contents of its files and crack Tsui's correspondence for clues. His wife has been detained for questioning.

The shoot-out has created a wave of sympathy for Tsang and Sin, who are being hailed as heroes not only by their fellow policemen, but also the general public. About 40 policemen performed a traditional ritual for Tsang where he collapsed after being shot. There have also been calls for him to be given a hero's burial in Gallant Garden, the cemetery near Tai Po reserved for civil servants who die in harness.

Tsang served the police force for a decade and was described by colleagues as hard working and diligent.

Tsui had been with the force for 15 years. A man of "many talents", he was fluent in Putonghua. He is survived by his wife and six-year-old daughter.

Sin, too, has been lauded for his gallantry and his fellow officers are praying for a speedy recovery.

And he has at least some of the answers to what happened on Friday night.

(China Daily 03/22/2006 page1)