Attack On Chinese Boats In Mekong River Kills 11

[webfact]

Attack on Chinese boats in Mekong River kills 11

BEIJING, October 10, 2011 (AFP) - Eleven Chinese were killed and two missing after their cargo boats were attacked in the golden triangle area of the Mekong River, state media said on Sunday.

The two ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked on October 5, according to the Xinhua news agency, which said China's leaders were "paying close attention to the matter".

The foreign ministry in Beijing has asked the Chinese embassy in Thailand and consulate general in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai to investigate and do all they can to find the missing crewmen, Xinhua said.

Beijing had also asked "relevant countries" to take measures to improve the protection of Chinese ships and sailors in the Mekong River, the report said, quoting a statement on the ministry's website.

The Mekong River region comprises Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China's Yunnan Province.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-10-10

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One Killed, 950.000 Meth Tablet Seized In Mekong Drug Bust

[webfact]

China confirms ship attack in Thailand

BEIJING - China's Foreign Ministry confirmed Sunday that 11 Chinese were killed and two remain missing after their boats were attacked in the Mekong River four days ago.

Two cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked in the golden triangle area of the Mekong River on October 5, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Among the six Chinese on the Hua Ping, five were found dead and one was missing. Among the seven Chinese on the Yu Xing 8, six were killed and one was missing, according to the statement.

The ministry said it has asked Chinese embassy in Thailand and consulate general in Chiang Mai to investigate the incident immediately and spare no efforts to search for the missing.

It has also asked "relevant countries" to take effective measures to improve the protection of Chinese ships and sailors in the Mekong River, according to the statement.

The ministry said leaders of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council are paying close attention to the matter.

The ministry urged the "relevant countries" to immediately to look into the incident, determine the truth and bring the criminals to justice as soon as possible.

Chinese diplomats in Chiang Mai have arrived at the site to investigate. The Chinese embassy in Thailand is having close contact with the Thai side to get further information, according to the statement.

Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2011-10/10/content_13858113.htm

-- chinadaily.com.cn 2011-10-10

[webfact]

China's consulate general in Thailand says investigation under way for raids on Chinese ships

BANGKOK, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Thai police has launched an investigation and were hunting for the attackers on two Chinese cargo ships five days ago that left 11 Chinese dead and two missing, an official at China's consulate general in Chiang Mai said Sunday.

China's consulate general in this northern Thailand province has been dealing with this incident, the official added.

Two cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked in the golden triangle area of the Mekong River on Oct. 5, China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its website Sunday.

Of the six Chinese on the Hua Ping, five were found dead and one was missing and of the seven Chinese on the Yu Xing 8, six were killed and one was missing, according to the statement.

A Bangkok Post report later Sunday said that three bodies of Chinese men, with their hands tied and handcuffed behind their backs, were found floating on the Mekong River in Chiang Rai's Chiang Saen district Friday and another nine bodies were found the day after.

The report said the bodies have been sent to Chiang Saen hospital for an autopsy and it blamed drug traffickers who wanted ships to smuggle drugs into Thailand from Myanmar for hijacking the two Chinese-flagged cargo ships on Wednesday and killing the captain and crew.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry in the statement said it has asked the Chinese embassy in Thailand and consulate general in Chiang Mai to investigate the incident immediately and spare no efforts to search for the missing.

Chinese diplomats in Chiang Mai have arrived at the site to investigate. The Chinese embassy in Thailand is having close contact with the Thai side to get further information, according to the statement.

It has also asked "relevant countries" to take effective measures to improve the protection of Chinese ships and sailors in the Mekong River, according to the statement.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry also said leaders of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council are paying close attention to the matter.

The ministry has urged the "relevant countries" to immediately look into the incident, determine the truth and bring the criminals to justice as soon as possible.

Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-10/10/c_131181604.htm

[MrRed]

5 days ago! Not something that will easily go away this time,the Chinese will not be impressed with this happening.

[geriatrickid]

No evidence it was Thai related. Add this to the growing list of reasons why the drug crackdown may very likely include Thai military visits into Burmese territory.

[TAWP]

Wasn't it 5 days ago that the two Chinese-registered ships was boarded for smuggling 950.000 yaba tablets?

[OzMick]

Wasn't it 5 days ago that the two Chinese-registered ships was boarded for smuggling 950.000 yaba tablets?

Same incident - has been covered well in BP

[softgeorge]

Could someone be annoyed about the chinese constantly daming the Mekong and restricting water flow???

[apetley]

The original report said that the boats were chased and one crewman was shot dead by Thai Police. Now we have another report saying tge missing crewmen have been found floating dead in the Mekong with their hands handcuffed behind their backs.

Is it only me or does anyone else suspect extrajudical killings?

[PoorSucker]

The new war on drugs?

[edwinchester]

No evidence it was Thai related. Add this to the growing list of reasons why the drug crackdown may very likely include Thai military visits into Burmese territory.

For one reason or other very likely to be Thai related. Two boats initially chased by Thai authorities and one dead crewman found. Days later the other crew mambers are found floating dead in the Mekong with their hands tied behind their backs. At the very least someone has to come up with a very inventive story!

[wana]

where did the rest of the smugglers go ?

1 lone dead gunman didnt hi-jack two ships by himself ,fill them with drugs ,bind and kill the 11 crew and then proceed to sail both ships to thailand only to have a shootout with police and get his lonely self killed

there must be more people ,if theyre dead wheres the bodies ? if theyre alive,are they escaped or in police custody ?

something doesnt add up with the numbers

Edited October 10, 2011 by wana

[webfact]

related

One Killed, 950.000 Meth Tablet Seized In Mekong Drug Bust

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[visions]

As per usual,...... wont the BiB find that all the dead decided to commit suicide?...... rather than face their fate from the drug dealers of a deal gone wrong..

[Bakseedaa]

No evidence it was Thai related. Add this to the growing list of reasons why the drug crackdown may very likely include Thai military visits into Burmese territory.

Are you joking, have you ever visited this border area,,? Thai military will Never cross into Burma again.. the last time they crossed over , none came back..!

[wana]

No evidence it was Thai related. Add this to the growing list of reasons why the drug crackdown may very likely include Thai military visits into Burmese territory.

Are you joking, have you ever visited this border area,,? Thai military will Never cross into Burma again.. the last time they crossed over , none came back..!

when did this happen ? how many thai soldiers were killed ?

[OzMick]

The original report said that the boats were chased and one crewman was shot dead by Thai Police. Now we have another report saying tge missing crewmen have been found floating dead in the Mekong with their hands handcuffed behind their backs.

Is it only me or does anyone else suspect extrajudical killings?

Completely off track - the druggies killed the crew and threw them o/board when they stole the boats. BUT druggies seem to have mysteriously "slipped away" (except for the dead one).

<deleted>?

[OzMick]

The original report said that the boats were chased and one crewman was shot dead by Thai Police. Now we have another report saying tge missing crewmen have been found floating dead in the Mekong with their hands handcuffed behind their backs.

Is it only me or does anyone else suspect extrajudical killings?

Completely off track - the druggies killed the crew and threw them o/board when they stole the boats. BUT druggies seem to have mysteriously "slipped away" (except for the dead one).

<deleted>?

i found a link that says they escaped by jumping over the side of the boat

the police have declined to comment on whether or not they have any of them in custody

Did they all shout "They'll never take me alive!" as they jumped? Mass suicide rather than Thai jail? Olympic standard swimmers (unusual in druggies, I admit)?

or perhaps more likely, negotiating "bail" (out).

[RickBradford]

Sequence of events seems to be:

1) Shan drug lords hijack the 2 Chinese ships and imprison their crews

2) Drug guys on the ships run into Thai military, one killed, rest flee

3) Drug guys on shore realise they have no more use for Chinese crewmen, so kill them and throw them in river

These are not nice people....

[wana]

Sequence of events seems to be:

1) Shan drug lords hijack the 2 Chinese ships and imprison their crews

2) Drug guys on the ships run into Thai military, one killed, rest flee

3) Drug guys on shore realise they have no more use for Chinese crewmen, so kill them and throw them in river

These are not nice people....

i doubt the vessels took time to bring the chinese crew to shore when they could just throw them overboard with their hands tied and also apparently handcuffed behind their backs

not much chance of them escaping to tell their story that way

the interesting part is when the thai police encountered the 2 boats full of drugs and smugglers ........everyone jumped overboard but no bodies were found....

eaten by crocodiles ?/

[kutjebu]

Two cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked in the golden triangle area of the Mekong River on October 5??????????

The Chinese Foreign Ministry in the statement said it has asked the Chinese embassy in Thailand and consulate general in Chiang Mai to investigate the incident immediately and spare no efforts to search for the missing.

Shit,the police has already to react after 5 days.I feel so sorry for them.

[OzMick]

Two cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were attacked in the golden triangle area of the Mekong River on October 5??????????

The Chinese Foreign Ministry in the statement said it has asked the Chinese embassy in Thailand and consulate general in Chiang Mai to investigate the incident immediately and spare no efforts to search for the missing.

Shit,the police has already to react after 5 days.I feel so sorry for them.

The ships were apprehended by the military Oct 5th - seized by druggies and crew killed prior to this.

[metisdead]

A post containing a quoted news article from Bangkok Post has been removed.

31) Members are not allowed to quote news articles or material from Bangkokpost.com or Phuketwan inside topics on Thaivisa.com. Posts from members containing quotes will be deleted from the forum. Members posting links referring back to the sites is also not allowed and will be deleted.

[T_Dog]

There was also an incident on September 23rd on the river that left two dead in the same exact area. A friend was due to take one of the cargo ships but no tourists were being allowed to board either the ships or the long tail boats due to the attack. That incident apparently never made it into the news. I posted a query on the Chiang Rai forum but never received a reply.

[ginjag]

No evidence it was Thai related. Add this to the growing list of reasons why the drug crackdown may very likely include Thai military visits into Burmese territory.

For one reason or other very likely to be Thai related. Two boats initially chased by Thai authorities and one dead crewman found. Days later the other crew mambers are found floating dead in the Mekong with their hands tied behind their backs. At the very least someone has to come up with a very inventive story!

Clear case of suicide this you can say here and get away with it--try convincing the Chinese with the same story. Don't mess with the powerful !!!

Edited October 10, 2011 by ginjag

[chaoyang]

A possible explanation is conflict between rival drug factions or outright hijacking/theft of massive amounts of drugs. Because the crewmen are permanently unable to help the authorities with the investigation, a good start would be to take a long look at the ship owners and their business dealings. I wonder if they are living in sprawling mansions in Yunnan somewhere.

RIP to those who died, but there is a lot more to this than some random "drive-by" hijacking and shooting amid the wilds of some of the most lawless lands on earth. A report broadcast in China said Thai police were told by informants upriver that the boats were originally carrying 10 million yabaa tablets.

[wana]

. A report broadcast in China said Thai police were told by informants upriver that the boats were originally carrying 10 million yabaa tablets.

that seems like a more realistic number

why hi-jack two large boats and kill so many crew for the relatively trivial amount of tablets found on each?

[maidu]

a lot of fishy info. I haven't read newspapers recently, so the reports here are all I have to go by. There are some ruthless people involved - who kill everyone (except the two who disappeared - and who may also have been killed).

Big question: Where are the ships now? Maybe I missed that piece of info, but I see no report of where they are. Not easy to hide two cargo ships in along a stretch of river.

[geriatrickid]

No evidence it was Thai related. Add this to the growing list of reasons why the drug crackdown may very likely include Thai military visits into Burmese territory.

For one reason or other very likely to be Thai related. Two boats initially chased by Thai authorities and one dead crewman found. Days later the other crew mambers are found floating dead in the Mekong with their hands tied behind their backs. At the very least someone has to come up with a very inventive story!

My apologies, I should have written Crime as in the result of Thai pirates, gangsters etc. . You are correct that the vessels were involved in a drug interdiction.

[chaoyang]

a lot of fishy info. I haven't read newspapers recently, so the reports here are all I have to go by. There are some ruthless people involved - who kill everyone (except the two who disappeared - and who may also have been killed).

Big question: Where are the ships now? Maybe I missed that piece of info, but I see no report of where they are. Not easy to hide two cargo ships in along a stretch of river.

The ships are in Chiang Saen and have been inspected by forensics people from both Thailand and Yunnan, China.