- IN THE wake of the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in Thailand in October, China will launch armed patrols on the river’s upper reaches with its Southeast Asian neighbours.The 13 sailors were aboard two Chinese cargo ships on the Mekong when they were attacked on October 5...
China to send armed patrols on Mekong: report
BEIJING — China and several neighbouring countries will provide armed escorts to ships navigating the Mekong River, state media said Wednesday, after 13 Chinese sailors were killed on the key waterway last month.
The sailors died in a raid on two Chinese cargo boats on the Mekong on October 5 -- an attack thought to have been carried out by a notorious gang in the "Golden Triangle" area known for drug smuggling.
Police in Thailand have since detained nine soldiers suspected of killing the sailors, and also thought to have links to a Myanmar drug kingpin.
The state-run China Daily newspaper quoted the Ministry of Public Security as saying China and its Southeast Asian neighbours -- believed to be Thailand, Laos and Myanmar -- would begin armed patrols on the river next month.
"China's contribution to the patrols will come from a special armed force established under the Yunnan Provincial Border Control Corps," the report quoted Cheng Jun, spokesperson for the ministry's border control bureau, as saying.
The ministry refused to comment when contacted by AFP.
The report also quoted Yang Xi, a spokesperson for the Yunnan border corps, as saying that patrol forces would escort both Chinese ships and those from other countries.
The Mekong flows through Yunnan into southeast Asia.
China reacted angrily to the October attack, summoning diplomatic envoys from Thailand, Laos and Myanmar and asking authorities to speed up investigations into the incident.
It also sent patrol boats down the Mekong to escort 164 stranded Chinese sailors and 28 cargo ships home, and has suspended shipping on the waterway, which runs through the four countries as well as Cambodia and Vietnam.
The river normally serves as a major trade route through those countries.
KUNMING, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese police confirmed Sunday that the body of the missing Chinese sailor in the ship attack on the Mekong River has been found.
Two Chinese cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked by unidentified armed people on the Mekong River on Oct. 5. Twelve Chinese sailors were killed. Yang Deyi, captain of the Yu Xing 8, was missing.
China's Ministry of Public Security said in a statement Sunday that finding Yang's body brought the total number of victims to 13.
China will urge relevant governments to get to the bottom of the attack and catch the assailants as soon as possible through more effective measures, said State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu at a meeting in southwest Yunnan Province.
The ministry will send a police delegation to Thailand headed by Vice Minister of Public Security Zhang Xinfeng to help the investigation, Meng said.
China hopes to establish a cooperative system in navigation law enforcement on the Mekong River with Laos, Myanmar and Thailand to fight cross-border crime and deal with emergencies, Meng said.
The Mekong River, known in China as the Lancang River, rises on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and flows through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam before spilling into the South China Sea.
The Mekong River has played an important part in China's economic cooperation with countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion and acted as one of the most important transport channels in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, Meng said.
The safety of cross-border shipping along the river is crucial for the security and development of China and the whole region, he said.
China would like to resume the shipping as early as possible once the situation along the river is secure, he said.
Meng also asked the local governments to take care of the victims' families and promised to provide assistance for the neediest.
