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Chinese Boat Crew Killed in Golden Triangle
Thai rescuers retrieve the bodies of Chinese crewmen from the Mekong River, October 11. XINHUA
Two alleged commercial vessels carrying 13 Chinese sailors were hijacked by suspected drug smugglers on October 5 in the Thai stretch of the Mekong River, resulting in a massacre leaving 12 crewmen dead and one missing. Thai media revealed that witnesses had seen armed men crewing two unidentified yachts which passed through the area before the captain of one of the Chinese vessels sent an SOS call.
Thai police reported that they intercepted and exchanged fire with the gunmen, killing one while the rest escaped. The bodies of the 12 Chinese crewmembers were later retrieved from the river, handcuffed and blindfolded, apparently executed. Two of the bodies had broken necks.
According to the Royal Thai Army, over 500,000 blocks of crystal meth were found on the hijacked vessels. The precise nature of the Chinese crew’s business in the area as well as the identities of the hijackers remain under investigation. Thai authorities have accused the Burmese Nor Kham drug cartel of hijacking the vessels for use in drug trafficking between Myanmar and Thailand. However, Myanmar’s State press bureau denied the Thai accusations, claiming that the Chinese crew were shot to death by Thai police, citing local witness testimony.
Considering most vessels operating within Southeast Asia’s notorious Golden Triangle are registered in China, Chinese domestic media have been quick to call for government protection for cargo vessels making the dangerous Mekong run. However, the lack of concrete information has led the Chinese authorities to play down the incident while urging Thailand to bring the perpetrators to justice. Speculators have attributed the massacre variously to a drug deal gone wrong, a mistaken attack by Burmese separatist groups and even a shadowy conspiracy to destabilize regional relations, though there is scant evidence to suggest any political motivation.
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Badeling Pass | Beijing
Sep 2011 | Submitted by Brian Snelson
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