Drug trafficking
October 10, 2011
The two ships had been taken hostage last Wednesday, October 5, on the Mekong River after around eight armed men stormed them. The China News Service quoted eyewitnesses who said the attackers appeared to be smugglers seeking to use the seized ships to traffic drugs.
The victims, including two women, had been crew members on the cargo ships. Their bodies have now been recovered near Chiang Saen, a river port in north Thailand. Their hands had been bound, their eyes covered with adhesive tape and they appeared to have been shot, local media reported. Authorities seized both boats after a gun battle with the attackers and found cargo worth 3.22 million US dollars, including 900,000 pills of methamphetamine.
Haven for smugglers
Beijing has urged stronger protection for its citizens in the area, which is known to be frequently used by drug traffickers. The Chinese Foreign Ministry in a statement asked the countries concerned to take "effective measures to strengthen protection of Chinese vessels and crew on the Mekong River."
The Mekong snakes from China into Southeast Asia, where it forms part of Thailand's border with Myanmar and Laos. In 2001, the four countries signed an agreement to regularize shipping on the river. The 4,900 kilometer-long river also flows through Cambodia.
The "Golden Triangle" region, where the borders of Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, is notorious for the production and trafficking of heroin and other illicit drugs. In April, three Chinese boats and 34 crew members were taken hostage by pirates along the Mekong in Myanmar but were safely rescued within days.
Agencies: dpa, Reuters (mg)
Editor: Sarah Berning