Thread: Chiang Rai:12 bodies have been found in the Mekong River

Originally Posted by SteveCM

9 Thai soldiers surrender in Mekong deaths -- Shanghai Daily |

By Li Xinran | 2011-10-29 |


NINE suspects, all Royal Thai Army personnel, have turned themselves in for the attack on the Mekong River near the Thai-Myanmar border in which 13 Chinese sailors were killed, Thai police chief Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong said yesterday.

The nine soldiers involved were from the Third Army Command, headquartered in Phitsanulok, responsible for the northern parts of the kingdom, Damapong said.

He emphasized that the army and the government were not behind the killings. He said the police suspect the servicemen acted on the order of some local tycoons and further investigation is under way. He also said the Third Army Command assisted police in making the arrests.

"They are now put under custody in the city of Chiang Rai," Damapong said.

The victims were crew members on two cargo ships attacked on October 5 in the "Golden Triangle", where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet, a region notorious for drug smuggling.

Their bodies were found and salvaged from the river in northern Thailand.

The visiting Chinese vice minister of public security, Zhang Xinfeng, said the case will soon be referred for judicial proceedings.

"There has been important progress in this case today, and nine suspects have been caught, showing the case has been basically cracked," Zhang said. "Investigators will find more details, and China will continue to work with Thailand."

All nine suspects will stand for trial before a military court, according to the website of China's People's Daily.

That is quite a surprise.

^Astonishing I would say. The chinese clearly reach parts that other foreign governments don't

Nine Thai soldiers have been detained following a deadly attack on two cargo ships on the Mekong river near the Thai-Burma border.

Thirteen Chinese crew members died in the attack, which happened in early October, in an area notorious for drug production and smuggling. Their bodies were found floating in the river.

A police spokesman in Thailand said the soldiers had surrendered on Friday.

The Thai troops were working for an anti-drug task force.

According to media reports, some of the dead crew members had been bound and gagged, others had been blindfolded with tape and some had been shot.

"Police will prosecute all nine soldiers," National police chief General Priewpan Damapong told reporters, according to Agence France Presse.

BBC News - Thai soldiers detained over Mekong River killings

Thai army soldiers were the culprits, same old story.

Bangkok Post : Mekong could capsize China trade

Mekong could capsize China trade

The discovery of 13 dead Chinese sailors earlier this month highlights an unreported trend of hijacking on the river that an expert says threatens river commerce

• Published: 30/10/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: Spectrum

On Oct 5, a Thai river patrol boarded in Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district boarded two Chinese vessels and said it clashed with drug traffickers who had hijacked the ships. A large quantity of methamphetamine pills was found on board.


Zhu Zhenming. PHOTO: SONGPOL KAOPATUMTIP

The bodies of three Chinese men, their hands tied and handcuffed behind their backs, were found floating in the river two days later and another nine bodies were found the next day. The body of the captain of one of the boats was found later, bringing the total to 13.

Members of the Pha Muang Task Force blamed the killings on hijackers, but on Friday nine of the Thai officers were charged over the murders and tampering with evidence. They have denied the charges and the Third Army has told police it will fully cooperate with the investigation.

The murders sparked outrage in China and prompted the country to temporarily suspend trade on the Mekong. Beijing also summoned its envoys from Laos, Burma, and Thailand to register an official protest over the incident. According to a statement on the website of China's Foreign Ministry's website, Vice-Foreign Minister Song Tao gave a message to the three envoys to take back to authorities in their respective host countries to ''step up their investigation, get to the bottom of the matter as soon as possible, report their findings to China in a timely manner and ... severely punish the assailants''.

Spectrum spoke to Zhu Zhenming, a professor of Southeast Asian affairs at the Yunnan Academy of Southeast Asian and South Asian Studies, about the incident prior to the Thai officers being charged. Mr Zhu said that China and Thailand should strengthen security cooperation in response to the discovery of the dead sailors and growing lawlessness on the Mekong in general.

He said the Chinese public is awaiting the outcome of an investigation into the incident by a joint Chinese-Thai committee. Many details about what happened remain unclear.

''The Thai police blame a drug gang led by Nor Kham in the Wa State in Myanmar [Burma] for the killings, but Myanmar denies this. A spokesperson from the Wa State said that they have no ties to Nor Kham's gang, which they claim isn't even operating out of the region,'' said Mr Zhu.

''This does not mean that the bandits came from the Thai side,'' Mr Zhu said while in Kunming, the capital of the southern Chinese province of Yunnan where the families of the 13 dead sailors live.''But even if the local authorities cooperate fully, the truth still won't be easily found,'' he said.

The Mekong, called the Lancang River along its northern course, is a major navigation route, flowing through four countries. Vast, uninhabited mountainous areas near the river provide a natural haven for criminals. Mr Zhu noted that other hijackings had taken place along the river during the past few years.

''Local unknown armed forces hijack vessels, and poor people sometimes do so as well. The latter are easy to investigate but local authorities have difficulty tracking down the armed gangs,'' he said.

The opening of the Lancang-Mekong River navigation route in recent times has facilitated trade but also made drug trafficking easier.

''Lacking human and material resources, the police in Burma and Laos can hardly stop the drug traffickers,'' said Mr Zhu.

Chinese vessels have stopped using the Mekong now in accordance with their government's dictate, which will have a significant impact on trade between Thailand and China. The impact will be felt most in Yunnan.

''In the worst case scenario river transportation will be cut off [indefinitely],'' said Mr Zhu. ''Delivering goods by road will increase the cost by 1,000 yuan [4,840 baht] per tonne, which will adversely affect Chinese traders, and some Chinese sailors may have to find other jobs.''

Countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region have talked about pooling their resources to safeguard the river, but this is easier said than done, said Mr Zhu.

He said the burden of enhancing Mekong security lies with China and Thailand. Burma is not interested in boosting security along the river since only a small part of it is in its territory, while Laos is incapable of making a significant contribution.

''China should enhance cooperation with the Thai police and invest more in helping relevant countries train their police and improve communications,'' said Mr Zhu. He added that warning systems should also be established and information should be freely disclosed.

Mr Zhu emphasised that many hijackings go unreported. Last April, for example, an unknown armed group hijacked a merchant ship with 34 crew members on the Laos-Burma stretch of the Mekong. The ship was used by a casino for importing goods from China and a huge ransom was obtained for the ship, crew and cargo. The pirates wore masks and balaclavas.

''The relevant authorities, including Chinese media, did not give the details to the public, which doesn't help to deter criminals or warn ship owners,'' Mr Zhu said.The Oct 5 killings, however, have shocked the Chinese public, and everyone is more aware of the problem now.

Myanmar reassures China after dam blocked, sailors killed | Reuters

Myanmar reassures China after dam blocked, sailors killed

BEIJING | Sun Oct 30, 2011 1:05am EDT

(Reuters) - A senior Myanmar government minister assured China on Sunday of his country's friendship and cooperation with Beijing, state news agency Xinhua reported, ties having been strained by the suspending of a dam project and the killings of Chinese sailors.

Last month, Myanmar's new civilian President Thein Sein suspended the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam being built and financed by Chinese companies in northern Myanmar after weeks of public outrage over the project in the country also known as Burma.

China has called for talks to resolve the matter. But it has also been angered by an October 5 attack on the Mekong River near the Thai-Myanmar border in which 13 Chinese sailors were killed.

Myanmar Interior Minister Ko Ko, meeting China's Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu in Beijing to discuss the Mekong killings, said his country would remain a good neighbor.

"The Myanmar government pays great attention to its friendly cooperation relationship with China," Xinhua paraphrased him as saying.

"Myanmar is willing to work hard with China on security cooperation on the Mekong River, take effective measures to crack down on cross-border criminal activities which harm the interests of countries on the river, and maintain international navigation safety on the river."

Thai police said on Sunday that nine Thai soldiers had turned themselves in over the killing of the Chinese sailors, which happened in the "Golden Triangle," where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet, a region notorious for drug smuggling.

China had demanded that Thailand, Laos and Cambodia ensure the safety of Chinese sailors on the river.

The deaths, as well as the suspension of the dam project, have underscored Chinese worries about both instability in Myanmar and how once close relations might change under the former British colony's new civilian government.

The shelving of the dam, agreed to by Myanmar's then military rulers in 2006, was seen as an unprecedented challenge to China's extensive economic interests in Myanmar, long shunned by the West for its poor human rights record.

In recent years, Myanmar's leaders have embraced investment from China as a market for its energy-related resources and to counterbalance the impact of Western sanctions.

While China and Myanmar have close economic and political ties, including the building of oil and gas pipelines into southwestern China, there are also deep mutual suspicions.

From New Mandala.....

What’s going on at the Golden Triangle?

October 30th, 2011 by Andrew Walker

This report comes as something of a surprise:

Nine Thai army men have surrendered and confessed to killing 13 Chinese sailors in Thailand earlier this month, the Thai police chief has said. The victims onboard two cargo ships were shot dead by a group of gunmen Oct 5 in a section of the Mekong river that forms the border of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Their bodies were found and salvaged from the river in northern Thailand later, China Daily reported. The suspects were servicemen of the Third Military Command of the Thai army, which guards the northern border of Thailand, said police chief Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong. Priewpan, however, said the army and the government were not behind the killing. He said the servicemen acted on the orders of some local tycoons.

Most of the speculation so far has pointed the finger of blame at warlords/drug traffickers in Burma. Of course, Thai army involvement does not mean that this is not the case, but it does make a complex and sensitive situation even more complex and sensitive.

It would be interesting to know exactly where this incident occured. Saying that the Mekong River “forms the border of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar” is misleading. It is the border between Laos and Burma and then the border between Laos and Thailand. I had assumed that the killings took place on the river where it forms the border between Laos and Burma, but I have seen another report (which I cannot find right now) suggesting that the killings may have taken place along the Lao-Thai border.

[UPDATE: I have done some more research on this. It is clear that there was a violent confrontation between the boats (who was in control of them at the time?) and Thai authorities (Army? Navy? Border Patrol? Police?) in Thai territory, opposite the Lao village of Don Sao. It appears to have been a planned raid, with the river-side road between Chiang Saen and Sob Ruak sealed off. Locals reported heavy gunfire. A report, with some disturbing pictures of bound and gagged dead bodies, is available here. According to the report, after the confrontation, one dead body was found on one of the boats, together with almost one million methamphetamine pills. Locals were told that the other crew members had escaped into the river. Were they killed in this exchange? Or had they been killed earlier?]

Meeting for Mekong River security|Asia-Pacific|chinadaily.com.cn

Updated: 2011-10-31

By Cui Haipei (China Daily)

Nine Thai troops surrender over deaths of 13 Chinese crew

BEIJING - Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday urged Thailand to conduct a speedy trial of nine Thai soldiers who killed 13 Chinese crew members of two cargo ships on the Mekong River.

In a phone conversation with his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra, Wen urged the Thai government to punish the criminals according to the law.

The soldiers turned themselves in to police on Friday, Thai police said on Sunday.

The two Chinese ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked on the Mekong River near the Thai-Myanmar border on Oct 5.

The premier also called for the establishment of a joint law enforcement and security mechanism between China, Thailand, Laos and Myanmar, to ensure navigational safety on the Mekong River.

Yingluck expressed sorrow over the murder of the crew members and promised that her government would find out the truth about the tragedy and hold the killers accountable.

The Thai leader added that Thailand is willing to work with China and other countries to enhance security on the Mekong River.

The suspects, including a major and a lieutenant, were servicemen of the Third Military Command of the Thai army, which guards the country's northern border.

Wang Ronghua, captain of the Chinese ship Jiafu 3, told China Daily on Sunday that he was shocked that it was Thai soldiers who pulled the trigger and killed the 13 crew members.

"We demand that the murderers are severely punished, and we will only return to the Mekong River when our safety is protected," Wang said, adding that his losses had reached 100,000 yuan ($15,700) since shipping along the river was suspended after the attack.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said police had "solid evidence" suggesting that weapons were fired from Thailand at the Chinese cargo ships, the Bangkok Post reported on Sunday.

A background check on the victims shows they had no convictions for drugs offenses, said Chalerm, who oversees the national police, the paper reported.

But Chalerm distanced the army from the attack, adding that the incident was "personal" and had nothing to do with the Thai army, the newspaper said.

China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand will hold a meeting in Beijing on Monday to discuss establishing a joint law enforcement and security mechanism between the four countries, in a bid to maintain order on the Mekong River.

Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met in Beijing on Sunday with Laotian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Douangchay Phichit, saying that the two countries will enhance their cooperation in law enforcement and security on the Mekong River.

Liang expressed gratitude for Laos' support in helping stranded Chinese ships and crewmen return to China safely.

Reuters, Xinhua contributed to this story.

China Daily

http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.ph...902&Itemid=189

Meth Behind Chinese Mekong Deaths?

Written by Richard S. Ehrlich
Monday, 31 October 2011


Let's see...times 22 million...

Warlords find a lucrative new trade.

The arrests last Friday of nine Thai Army officers for the Oct. 5 murders of 13 Chinese seamen spotlight a horrific crime. But the affair is part of a bigger story of how the so-called Golden Triangle of Burma, Laos and Thailand is shifting to become the locus of massive methamphetamine production, and how complicit some units of the Thai army appear to be in the operations.

The nine have pleaded not guilty to murdering the 13, who were on two Chinese freighters allegedly carrying nearly a million amphetamine pills on the Mekong River. Thai Army Major Gen. Prakarn Chonlayuth, who commands the Pa Muang Task Force which included the nine arrested officers , speculated that a minority ethnic Shan warlord, Nor Kham, based in Burma, had arranged the execution of the 13 Chinese seamen.

Prakarn suggested to reporters that the Shan warlord was extorting protection money from ships on the Mekong and, if owners refused to pay, the Shan gang would kill the crews, hijack the vessels and use the ships for smuggling drugs. No evidence has emerged, however, of anyone else's involvement in the case aside from the nine Thai army officers, although investigations were continuing.

All of the Chinese victims had been blindfolded, tied up and shot, according to Thai and Chinese media. In their defense, the army officers said they had heard about the assault on the ships by hijackers and later also boarded them, but announced they had discovered 920,000 hidden amphetamine pills and one dead Chinese crew member. A few days later, 12 other Chinese corpses appeared floating in the Mekong, prompting urgent demands by Beijing for Bangkok to investigate the case and punish the killers.

It is a major concern. The murders became a major point of contention between the two countries, with the Chinese suspending all shipping between Thailand and China on the Mekong.

The river has become an increasingly lucrative transshipment route for both countries after China dynamited sections of the river to widen it, streamlined import and export procedures, and improved shipping support facilities. It is also the focus of rising irritation on the part of local companies that are finding themselves increasingly squeezed out by Chinese shippers. According to Xinhua, 116 of the 130 ships involved in international shipping on the Mekong are operated by Chinese companies. They carry a total of 400,000 tons of cargo each way on that stretch of the river, which is flanked by Burma and Laos.

The Golden Triangle is a mountainous region that has been outlaw territory for decades, since Chinese Kuomintang generals led their refugee troops to the area following Chiang Kai-shek’s defeat by Mao Zedong’s Communists. Drug warlords have amassed vast wealth over the decades. It is an area of almost a million square kilometers that comprises some of the most extensive opium-producing areas of Asia, now surpassed only by Afghanistan, which has regained its title of the world’s biggest exporter despite the occupation of the NATO powers.

"There are few who doubt the involvement [direct or indirect] of Nar Kham, the godfather of the protection ring whose members have been collecting fees from ships and traders crisscrossing and plying the Mekong," said a report by the Shan Herald Agency for News, a nonprofit group in Shan state. It added that those who didn’t play by his rules are often shot.

Although opium production has been going on since the 1920s, the drug lords have recently expanded to include the manufacturing of amphetamine-type stimulants, abbreviated as ATS, because pills, called ya ba in Thailand, are easier to make and do not depend on seasonal farming conditions or high mountains where opium poppies thrive. In February 2010, authorities seized nearly 22 million meth pills in Laos, one of the largest seizures ever recorded in the region. "These drugs are affordable, easy to manufacture and highly profitable for criminal groups," Gary Lewis, a Bangkok-based regional representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a September summary of a 124-page report titled, "Amphetamines & Ecstasy: 2011 Global ATS Assessment."

"In our region, ATS are often associated with a modern and dynamic lifestyle. Users don't face the sort of stigma associated with 'old-fashioned' modes of drug administration such as injecting or smoking. This demand offers criminals entry into fresh and lucrative markets," Lewis said.

There seem to be plenty of those. The East and Southeast Asian regions, home to about a third of the global population, have become one of the most established ATS markets in the world, according to the global assessment report, primarily for methamphetamine. It is estimated that between 3.5 million to 20.9 million persons in the region have used amphetamine stimulants ATS in the past year. “They have emerged as the primary drug threat in recent years, displacing traditionally used plant-based drugs such as heroin, opium and cannabis. The injecting use of methamphetamine and its associated negative health consequences is reported as a growing problem in the region.”

Overall, the report continued, the number of illicit ATS laboratories dismantled between 2004 and 2009 increased significantly, from just 13 to 458, with the largest number reported in China. “Trafficking patterns in East and Southeast Asia have also shifted during the past few years, particularly in the Greater Mekong subregion, which includes Cambodia, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the bordering southern provinces of China.

The 93.3 million methamphetamine pills seized in 2009 in China, Laos, Burma and Thailand were a three-fold jump over 2008. That was easily surpassed in 2010, with total seizures of 144 million pills.

“This increased trafficking of methamphetamine pills from Burma to markets in the region was reflected by the single seizure of nearly 22 million methamphetamine pills in February 2010 in Laos, one of the largest seizures ever in the region,” the report stated.

Nearly 50 million methamphetamine pills were seized in Thailand alone during 2010, compared to 27 million in the previous year, according to the UNODC. Although meth production in the Golden Triangle has dropped dramatically, according to the UNODC report, the manufacture of crystalline meth has soared. Thailand has one of the largest markets for methamphetamine pills in the region. It remains the most common form of drug use in the country, although crystal meth has become increasingly widespread.

During the 1990s, Burma-based rebels known as the United Wa State Army (UWSA) dominated parts of the Mekong river's western shore and allegedly trafficked drugs throughout the region and overseas. Several years ago, Washington issued an arrest warrant for the UWSA's rebel leader, Wei Hsueh-kang, for alleged involvement in illegal drugs. However, in mid-October, the UWSA issued a statement denying any links to the murder of the 13 Chinese.

The ethnic Wa and Shan are among several minority groups in northeast Burma involved in drugs while simultaneously fighting for autonomy or independence against the regime in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar.

my brother sells weight man
what's wrong with these bums
they talking bout kilos
we're talking bout tonnes

Crazy stuff eh?

Especially when the USA and China are the biggest drug manufacturing and pushing gangs in the world, won't even let us use vitamins, want us on their drugs instead.

Investigation on killing of Chinese sailors to be complete this week: Thai deputy PM

Investigation on killing of Chinese sailors to be complete this week: Thai deputy PM

English.news.cn
2011-11-01 17:56:06

BANGKOK, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) -- Investigators have gathered sufficient evidence in connection with the slaughter of 13 Chinese sailors on Mekong River earlier this month and truth will be clear within this week, Chalerm Ubumrung, Thai deputy Prime Minister said on Tuesday.

"Investigation is quite complete at this moment. Investigators have gathered enough evidence for solving the case," the Thairath Online quoted Chalerm as saying in the cabinet meeting.

"By the end of this week, it will be clear that this case is a mistake or a misconduct and whom the drugs (found on board) belong to," he added.

Chalerm, who is in charge of security and oversees the national police, insisted that this case has nothing to do with the country 's institutes but was conducted on an individual basis.

"Although the Third Army Region has a reputation for drug suppression, there are some mischievous men included as well," he said.

Two cargo ships, Huaping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked on Oct. 5 on Mekong River near the golden triangle area and 13 Chinese sailors were killed.

Nine army men from the Third Army Region guarding Thailand's northern border were identified as suspects of this case last Friday by Thai police chief Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong. They reportedly turned themselves in earlier that day after the issue of an arrest warrant by the police and are now facing charges of murder and tampering of evidence, which they denied.

sounds like Thais become quite effective when their Chinese masters are asking for an explanation

can't see that happens with Europeans,

Fair trial anticipated in Mekong killings

November 01, 2011

A patrol boat sent by the Xishuangbanna police bureau returns Chinese sailors home from Thailand on October 13, following the Mekong River killings. Photo: CFP

Editor's Note:
Thai police announced last Friday that 9 Thai soldiers were responsible for the killing of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River on October 5. The swiftness of the investigation is attributed to Chinese diplomatic pressure on the Thai government. What issues has the incident exposed? What does this case indicate about the Chinese government's efforts to safeguard its nationals overseas? Global Times (GT) reporter Gao Lei talked with Li Li (Li), a Thailand-based reporter with the Xinhua News Agency, Ji Peijuan (Ji), a Thailand-based reporter with the People's Daily, and Yang Baoyun (Yang), deputy director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Peking University, on these issues.

GT: The Chinese government sent a senior delegation to Thailand to help the investigation. What difference did this make?

Li: The Thai government appears to be OK with the decision, probably because it initially believed that the incident might be Myanmar's problem. But with the help of and the pressure from the Chinese delegation, the Thai authorities have started to take the case seriously and soon discovered that the killers may have come from the Royal Thai Army.

One particular story is that when Chalerm Yoobamrung, the deputy PM of Thailand, was about to send a senior police official to investigate the crime scene, he told the official to come back with news and progress or don't bother to come back at all.

Ji: Many observers who have been closely following the progression of this case believe the senior delegation sent by the Ministry of Public Security did an excellent job in Thailand.

The case is actually quite difficult to investigate, since it involves a region that borders three countries. But with pressure from the delegation, suspects have been arrested after merely 15 days. Thailand has been cooperative as well. Although the country currently faces flooding, it has been able to provide necessary support in the investigation.

GT: Does the killing represent systematic problem among Thai soldiers, or only "personal behavior" as Royal Thai Police chief Priewpan Damapong insisted?

Li: Unlike our understanding of the relationship between the government and the army, the Thai government appears to have little authority over the country's military forces.

In fact, many political conflicts that resulted in the overthrow of various Thai governments were initiated by the army. Thus it is possible that the Thai government was not involved in the killing.

As to the army, according to Chalerm Yoobamrung, the 9 soldiers were attached to the Pha Muang Task Force of the Third Army guarding the border. Chalerm said that some of the soldiers in the border region have been personally working for local kingpins' interests and act outside military orders.

If this is really the case, it will further endanger the region's security, which already poses a tough challenge for Thailand and other countries.

However, since Thailand has agreed to work with China, Myanmar and Laos to strengthen the security of the Mekong River and crack down on drug smuggling, security could be improved through joint efforts.

Yang: If the killings were motivated by drugs and money, it would indicate that the Thai army has been corrupted to some degree. Although this may be a "personal behavior" and preliminary investigation hasn't been able to prove the association between the men and local drug dealers, the case has inevitably damaged the Royal Thai Army's image. But if the army can provide a fair trial to the soldiers and help unearth the truth behind the killing, it will help save its reputation.

GT: What potential damage will this case cause to Sino-Thai relations?

Li: According to my interviews with Chinese forensic experts sent to Thailand to help with the investigation, there is nothing special about the killings.

There are widespread rumors saying that the killers cut the Chinese crews' arms and tongues off, but these are not true. Most of the crews were handcuffed and shot in the head. Additional scars found on their corpses may have been inflicted by the ship's screw propeller or rocks in the river. The experts agreed with the results of the investigation by the Thai authorities that this tragedy was more likely triggered by drugs and money.

I don't think there is xenophobic feeling toward the Chinese in Thailand. Quite the opposite, from my experiences, the Thais are very friendly to the Chinese. There may be personal conflicts of interest in the Golden Triangle region, but the killings were not driven by xenophobia.

Yang: Whether or not this case will hurt the two countries relationship depends on how it is treated by the Thai authorities. If the victims' family can be compensated and the killings are not politically motivated, then the case won't hurt the relationship. But it's hard to predict, since the truth of the motivation remains unclear.

China, Burma plan armed Mekong patrols
9 November 2011

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 5 October – 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 Burma 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 Burma– 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 Burma 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.

dvb.no

I hate finding dead bodies in the river. That's why I left my country.

Bangkok Post : Panels spar over boat killings

Panels spar over boat killings

• Published: 25/11/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

The House committee on foreign affairs yesterday accused the House committee on state security of "jumping to conclusions" over the murder of 13 Chinese sailors in Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district on Oct 5.

Pheu Thai Party list MP Sunai Jullapongsathon, who heads the foreign affairs committee that is also probing the deaths, said it was too early for the state security committee led by Karun Hosakul, a Pheu Thai MP for Bangkok, to reach a conclusion on the case after one round of questioning.

On Wednesday, the Karun-led committee questioned several military officials connected with the case for the first time since the discovery of the 13 corpses in the Mekong River.

The military officials told the committee the murders occurred in Burma, that only one body was found on one of two Chinese boats, and that the other 12 corpses had drifted into Thailand.

After the questioning was over, Mr Karun ruled out the possibility that the Thai soldiers who found the corpses had something to do with the murder.

"Of course, both committee are equally reliable, but the state security committee is probably able to think much faster than we can do," said Mr Sunai.

He said his committee had still not reached a conclusion on the matter as a lot more information was needed.

One hypothesis so far is that the case might have something to do with conflicts among certain state officials, said Mr Sunai. He refused to elaborate on whether he was referring to Thai, Burmese, or Chinese officials.

Mr Sunai also said his committee had information that the Norkham pirate group that operates on the Mekong River may have been behind the murder of the Chinese sailors.

He said he will go to to Chiang Rai next week to gather more information from local authorities and the Chinese consulate there.

Bangkok Post : Yutthasak: Joint patrols on Mekong R.

Yutthasak: Joint patrols on Mekong R.

• Published: 25/11/2011 at 12:32 PM
• Online news:

All countries along the Mekong should jointly step up efforts to combat the increasing amount of crime on the river, Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa on Friday.

Gen Yutthasak was commenting before attending a meeting of the Defence Council today during which the army will report on its actions in response to the slaying of 13 Chinese boat crew last month.

Most of the bodies of bodies of the Chinese sailors were found in the stretch of the Mekong River inside Thailand. The victims were crew members of two Chinese-flagged cargo ships.

Their bodies, handcuffed and bound and with gunshot wounds, were retrieved from the Mekong days after the attack.

Thai police have since pressed charges of murder and tampering with evidence against a group of nine army officers including a major and a lieutenant.

Gen Yutthasak said the Mekong countries should jointly step up efforts against crime on the river.

He said there had been 20 or 30 crimes recently on the river, most of them had occurred on sections under the jurisdiction of Laos and Burma and outside the 9-kilometre-long stretch of the river under the authority of Thailand.

The defence minister said he expects clearer guidelines for joint security operations after the secretary-general of the National Security Council returns from a two-day meeting on the murders with Chinese officials in China.

The minister said ties remained good between Bangkok and Beijing because Thai authorities were cooperating well with their Chinese counterparts in investigating the murders.

Gen Yutthasak insisted that no scapegoats would be arrested in this case. Chinese authorities confirmed they had recordings of phone conversations and photographs to identify the culprits, he said.

Bangkok Post : Prayuth warns govt on Mekong mission

Prayuth warns govt on Mekong mission

• Published: 1/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has warned the government to tread carefully with a four-nation mission to protect Chinese cargo boats on the Mekong River as the agreement could have territorial implications.

Gen Prayuth issued the warning yesterday following the cabinet's approval on Tuesday of a National Security Council (NSC) proposal for Thailand to join China, Laos and Burma in mounting patrols along the river.

The move is one of the security measures suggested after 13 Chinese sailors from two cargo boats were murdered in early October on a section of the Mekong north of Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district.

Gen Prayuth said the army has expressed its concerns with the Defence Ministry which discussed the issue with the NSC.

"Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa has agreed that Thailand will enter this cooperation agreement carefully," Gen Prayuth said. "It [the joint patrol] must not lead to any territorial transgression."

Thailand must be in charge of missions if they enter Thai territory, he said.

On Tuesday, Gen Prayuth informed Chinese ambassador to Thailand Guan Mu the Thai army was ready to cooperate with Chinese authorities in the investigation into the deaths of the 13 Chinese sailors and stricter security measures would be employed.

Mr Guan said Bangkok and Beijing should turn the tragedy into an opportunity to improve security for commercial vessels plying the Mekong.

So far, it is unclear who killed the 13 sailors, whose bodies were recovered from sections of the Mekong in Thailand and Laos.

Drug suppression officers from the Thai army's Pa Muang Task Force were initially accused of involvement in the killings, but the task force has pointed the finger at a Shan drug trafficking gang.

The officers discovered 920,000 speed pills on the boats and believe the gang hijacked the vessels to smuggle the drugs into Thailand, but were frightened off by the Thai troops.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs has met local officials, police and representatives of the Chiang Rai Chamber of Commerce to discuss the killings and obtain first-hand information.

Committee chairman Sunai Jullpongsathon said the information is needed to help get an accurate picture of the affair in order to prevent Thai-Chinese relations being damaged.

Bangkok Post : Photo 'links troops' to ship deaths

Photo 'links troops' to ship deaths

• Published: 2/12/2011 at 12:00 AM
• Newspaper section: News

A House committee chairman suspects nine Thai soldiers were involved in the killing of 13 Chinese sailors in the Mekong River north of Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district on Oct 5.

Pheu Thai Party list MP Sunai Jullapongsathorn, who heads the foreign affairs committee that is investigating the deaths, yesterday said he had obtained evidence suggesting the soldiers were linked to the deaths.

Mr Sunai said he had received a photograph of a soldier holding a machine gun that had been taken on one of the two Chinese cargo ships.

The soldier in the picture was one of the nine soldiers suspected of being involved.

The nine drug suppression soldiers, attached to the army's Pa Muang Task Force, reported to police investigators in Chiang Rai on Oct 28. They were charged with murder and tampering with evidence. They denied the charges.

Mr Sunai said Chinese authorities were now looking into the matter.

Defence Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said police are investigating the case and the ministry will cooperate.

Gen Yutthasak said the suspects include both retired and active soldiers and they have now been sent to investigators for questioning.

It was unclear who killed the 13 Chinese sailors on board the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8 ships, which were attacked by armed men on Oct 5.

The soldiers claimed they had boarded the ships after the attack and that they found 920,000 amphetamine pills and one dead body. A few days later, other bodies turned up in the river, most blindfolded, tied up and handcuffed. The Pha Muang Task force blames a Shan drug trafficking gang run by Nor Kham, 40, who is wanted by both Thai and Burmese drugs authorities.

They say the gang hijacked the vessels to smuggle the drugs into Thailand, but were frightened off by the Thai troops. However, investigators doubt any drug traffickers were involved, and have charged the nine army officers with the murders.

Uploaded by AlJazeeraEnglish on Dec 2, 2011


A new Chinese-built casino in on the banks of the Mekong River in Laos is adding to concerns of a resurgence of the area's infamous drug trade.

The King's Roman Casino along the borders of 'The Golden Triangle' - an area around the bordering nations of of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand - for Chinese tourists has raised questions about the area's infamous drug trade.

Casino management say the establishment has no connections to the drug trade, but recent evidence have only led to increased inquiries about the dubious building's function. Police recently found 20 sacks of methamphetamine pills on the compound grounds, a stash valued at $1.6mn. Last month, 13 Chinese sailors were murdered a kilometre from the grounds of the casino. The Thai army found almost one million pills on the 2 boats, which according to some reports, were headed to the casino.

Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay reports from the casino grounds in Bokeo, Laos.