Chinese ship attacked on the Mekong River
By Zha Minjie |
January 16, 2012, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A CHINESE cargo ship was fired at by unidentified attackers on the Mekong River on Saturday evening, China's Ministry of Public Security said yesterday.
No one was reported injured in the assault, police said. A joint patrol command force is hunting the attackers.
Shots were fired at the Shengtai-11 at 7:10pm, while returning from Thailand to Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, authorities said.
The attack occurred on a section of the river that runs through Laos.
Alerted by the sound of gunfire, Laos police rushed to the scene by land. At the same time, Chinese border police sped to the area on a Chinese patrol vessel.
The Shengtai-11, which had five crew members, was carrying wood, Chinese state television reported.
China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand conducted a joint armed patrol on the Mekong in December, following an October incident in which 13 Chinese sailors were killed.
Another joint patrol was under way on Saturday.
Chinese armed police have been taking part in the patrols with counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in a bid to maintain security along the Mekong River.
The river is a major trade route but is also viewed as a dangerous waterway where drug dealing and weapon smuggling are rampant.
Shipping services were halted after the October killings in the river's "Golden Triangle" and hundreds of sailors brought home to China.
Water transport on the river fully resumed after the four nations' law enforcement agencies conducted their first joint patrol on December 10.
Many ship owners and businessmen said they were reluctant to go back to the area after the October attack.
Earlier this month, four Chinese cargo ships and a Myanmar patrol boat were attacked by an unidentified armed group on the Mekong River near a port in Myanmar.
Two rockets were fired. One missed the target and plunged into the river while the other exploded near the patrol boat, Thailand police said.
The Mekong originates in the Himalayas and runs through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The six countries are committed to developing the river resources together.
No one was reported injured in the assault, police said. A joint patrol command force is hunting the attackers.
Shots were fired at the Shengtai-11 at 7:10pm, while returning from Thailand to Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna Prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan Province, authorities said.
The attack occurred on a section of the river that runs through Laos.
Alerted by the sound of gunfire, Laos police rushed to the scene by land. At the same time, Chinese border police sped to the area on a Chinese patrol vessel.
The Shengtai-11, which had five crew members, was carrying wood, Chinese state television reported.
China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand conducted a joint armed patrol on the Mekong in December, following an October incident in which 13 Chinese sailors were killed.
Another joint patrol was under way on Saturday.
Chinese armed police have been taking part in the patrols with counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in a bid to maintain security along the Mekong River.
The river is a major trade route but is also viewed as a dangerous waterway where drug dealing and weapon smuggling are rampant.
Shipping services were halted after the October killings in the river's "Golden Triangle" and hundreds of sailors brought home to China.
Water transport on the river fully resumed after the four nations' law enforcement agencies conducted their first joint patrol on December 10.
Many ship owners and businessmen said they were reluctant to go back to the area after the October attack.
Earlier this month, four Chinese cargo ships and a Myanmar patrol boat were attacked by an unidentified armed group on the Mekong River near a port in Myanmar.
Two rockets were fired. One missed the target and plunged into the river while the other exploded near the patrol boat, Thailand police said.
The Mekong originates in the Himalayas and runs through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
The six countries are committed to developing the river resources together.
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