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Mekong River four-nation patrols begin after attacks
Joint patrols planned on Mekong
China crew killed on Mekong River
China has begun joint patrols on the Mekong River with three other countries in the region to enhance security, after a series of attacks.
Joint patrols with Burma and Laos started on Saturday morning, China's state media reported.
Personnel from Thailand are expected to join the operation further downstream, possibly on Sunday.
The patrols are a response to the killing of 13 Chinese sailors travelling on the river in October.
The four-nation deployment aims to fill a security vacuum in the Golden Triangle region, an area notorious for drug-trafficking.
China's booming trade along the Mekong was suspended after the attack on 5 October left the bodies of the Chinese crew members floating in the water.
Drug smugglers were initially suspected of the attack, but nine Thai soldiers were subsequently detained.
More than 200 police from the border defence force in Yunnan province will take part, China's public security ministry said on Friday.
It is not yet clear how they will link up with their Burmese, Lao and Thai counterparts, how far along the Mekong the patrols will go, or if officers from one country will be able to perform arrests in others' territorial waters.
China's declared policy of non-interference in other countries' affairs has shifted as its economic horizons expand.
The Chinese navy has played a prominent role in the international operation off Somalia, protecting shipping from pirate attack.
But this is the first such joint deployment in South East Asia, where China's growing assertiveness is being watched closely.
Link to: China crew killed on Mekong River below
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15239618
Article: BBC news
Chinese crew killed 'by drugs gang' on Mekong River
The stalled battle for the Mekong
China country profile
Country profile: Thailand
Eleven Chinese crew members have been killed after their two cargo ships were attacked by suspected drug smugglers on the Mekong River, says China.
The attack happened last Wednesday on the Thai-Burmese border, an area notorious for drug production, China said. Two sailors are also missing.
Armed men hijacked the ships to smuggle drugs into Thailand, reports say.
In response, China has suspended shipping on the Mekong and urged Thai authorities to catch those responsible.
It also urged the Thai and Burmese governments to do more to protect Chinese shipping in the area.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said 11 Chinese sailors had been killed and two remained missing after the cargo ships Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8 were attacked on 5 October.
Earlier, the official Xinhua news agency had reported that all 13 Chinese crewmen were dead, citing Thai authorities.
China's consul-general in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, has arrived at the site of the attack to investigate, Xinhua reported.
Blindfolded
An owner of one of the ships was quoted by the China Daily newspaper as saying that almost every Chinese vessel in the area known as the Golden Triangle had been targeted in recent years, by gangs who usually robbed the crews.
The crew of a different boat who witnessed the attack said a gang of about eight men stormed the two ships, the China News Service reported.
The ships were recovered by Thai river police after a gunfight. Some 900,000 methamphetamine tablets worth more than $3m (£2m) were found, Thai media reports.
The Thai army suspects that ethnic Shan drug trafficker Nor Kham is behind the attacks, The Bangkok Post reports.
Some of those killed had been found in the river with their hands tied behind their backs, some were blindfolded with tape and some had been shot, the China Daily reported.
Joint patrols planned on Mekong
China crew killed on Mekong River
China has begun joint patrols on the Mekong River with three other countries in the region to enhance security, after a series of attacks.
Joint patrols with Burma and Laos started on Saturday morning, China's state media reported.
Personnel from Thailand are expected to join the operation further downstream, possibly on Sunday.
The patrols are a response to the killing of 13 Chinese sailors travelling on the river in October.
The four-nation deployment aims to fill a security vacuum in the Golden Triangle region, an area notorious for drug-trafficking.
China's booming trade along the Mekong was suspended after the attack on 5 October left the bodies of the Chinese crew members floating in the water.
Drug smugglers were initially suspected of the attack, but nine Thai soldiers were subsequently detained.
More than 200 police from the border defence force in Yunnan province will take part, China's public security ministry said on Friday.
It is not yet clear how they will link up with their Burmese, Lao and Thai counterparts, how far along the Mekong the patrols will go, or if officers from one country will be able to perform arrests in others' territorial waters.
China's declared policy of non-interference in other countries' affairs has shifted as its economic horizons expand.
The Chinese navy has played a prominent role in the international operation off Somalia, protecting shipping from pirate attack.
But this is the first such joint deployment in South East Asia, where China's growing assertiveness is being watched closely.
Link to: China crew killed on Mekong River below
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15239618
Article: BBC news
Chinese crew killed 'by drugs gang' on Mekong River
The stalled battle for the Mekong
China country profile
Country profile: Thailand
Eleven Chinese crew members have been killed after their two cargo ships were attacked by suspected drug smugglers on the Mekong River, says China.
The attack happened last Wednesday on the Thai-Burmese border, an area notorious for drug production, China said. Two sailors are also missing.
Armed men hijacked the ships to smuggle drugs into Thailand, reports say.
In response, China has suspended shipping on the Mekong and urged Thai authorities to catch those responsible.
It also urged the Thai and Burmese governments to do more to protect Chinese shipping in the area.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said 11 Chinese sailors had been killed and two remained missing after the cargo ships Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8 were attacked on 5 October.
Earlier, the official Xinhua news agency had reported that all 13 Chinese crewmen were dead, citing Thai authorities.
China's consul-general in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, has arrived at the site of the attack to investigate, Xinhua reported.
Blindfolded
An owner of one of the ships was quoted by the China Daily newspaper as saying that almost every Chinese vessel in the area known as the Golden Triangle had been targeted in recent years, by gangs who usually robbed the crews.
The crew of a different boat who witnessed the attack said a gang of about eight men stormed the two ships, the China News Service reported.
The ships were recovered by Thai river police after a gunfight. Some 900,000 methamphetamine tablets worth more than $3m (£2m) were found, Thai media reports.
The Thai army suspects that ethnic Shan drug trafficker Nor Kham is behind the attacks, The Bangkok Post reports.
Some of those killed had been found in the river with their hands tied behind their backs, some were blindfolded with tape and some had been shot, the China Daily reported.
