Thai soldiers held over deaths of Chinese sailors

BANGKOK, October 29, 2011 (AFP) - Police in Thailand have detained nine soldiers suspected of killing 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong river in early October, authorities in the kingdom said Saturday.

The Thai troops are thought to have links to a Myanmar drug kingpin.

The soldiers surrendered on Friday in northern Chiang Rai province, Lieutenant General Wut Liptapanlop told AFP, declining to give more details because the investigation was ongoing.

National police chief General Priewpan Damapong promised a full investigation into the deadly raid on two Chinese vessels on October 5, saying the military was fully cooperating.

"Police will prosecute all nine soldiers," he told reporters. "Their actions have nothing to do with the Thai army."

China summoned diplomatic envoys from Thailand, Laos and Myanmar in the wake of the attack and asked them to speed up investigations.

Beijing also sent patrol boats down the Mekong to escort 164 stranded Chinese sailors and 28 cargo ships back home.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-10-29

Nothing to do with the Thai army other than the fact that they are soldiers in the Thai army. Otherwise no connection of course.

Nothing to do with the Thai army other than the fact that they are soldiers in the Thai army. Otherwise no connection of course.

When your NOT at work are you working...NO.

He meant it was not the Thai Army that did the killings. It was soldiers doing their own thing.

When foreigners of western nationalities get murdered a cloak of silence and obfuscation seems to descend preventing in many cases anyone being convicted or the crime even being investigated, the same problem does not seem to have presented itself in the case of Chinese victims. I have little doubt someone with great power and influence is involved if we are looking at drug smuggling across borders so I surmise that to overcome such influence to secure prosecutions China must have issued some pretty serious threats, all behind the veil of diplomacy of course.

China rarely cares about its own citizens and probably the only reason why the response was so quick was because big business is involved. You can't have drug cartels holding up dozens of cargo ships in a business lane or slaughtering people en masse on that route. That's almost tantamount to a declaration of war during a naval blockade.

Plus i'm sure some Thai business people are effected by reduced flow of cargo traffic on the mekong too.

In the case of your average farang backpacker or sexpat getting popped no one cares about that because they don't contribute much anyways.

This probably sped things along a bit too - 'Beijing also sent patrol boats down the Mekong'

China will do everything and anything to defend it's commercial activities. If a few Chinese tourists died, it would be a totally different story. But when merchants die as a result of seeking income, their big brothers will expose their true aggressiveness. Thailand SHOULD be afraid. Thailand SHOULD be VERY afraid. Right or wrong, Thailand was, is and will always be ready to sacrifice righteousness and the innocent to maintain peace and good relations. But when it comes to Thai sovereignty, we are mean mothers too!!!

Mercenaries; while still in uniform?

Or a lend out from a influential general to his Myanmar contact to take out the competition?

Who knowsTIT anything is possible.

But it seems this was way too over the top for anyone to sweep under the table. Big stink and lots of face will be shaved off a sliver at a time till it goes away.

This probably sped things along a bit too - 'Beijing also sent patrol boats down the Mekong'

Unlike the US Navy, they don't wait to be invited.

This sounds to me like a drug deal gone bad. The Chinese "victims" may have tried to be too clever for their own good. Some of those traders have been dealing with various shady characters up in that area for awhile. Read wikileaks for some background info.

Edited October 29, 201114 yr by rogerdee123

Absolutely a nexus of smuggling of all sorts of 'products'.

Absolutely a nexus of smuggling of all sorts of 'products'.

Is that to say a hub?

Nothing to do with the Thai army other than the fact that they are soldiers in the Thai army. Otherwise no connection of course.

When your NOT at work are you working...NO.

He meant it was not the Thai Army that did the killings. It was soldiers doing their own thing.

Oh goodness, the naivete on display sometimes.

China will do everything and anything to defend it's commercial activities. If a few Chinese tourists died, it would be a totally different story. But when merchants die as a result of seeking income, their big brothers will expose their true aggressiveness. Thailand SHOULD be afraid. Thailand SHOULD be VERY afraid. Right or wrong, Thailand was, is and will always be ready to sacrifice righteousness and the innocent to maintain peace and good relations. But when it comes to Thai sovereignty, we are mean mothers too!!!

Things have changed since China became an important economic power. It was the Chinese Embassy that put enormous pressure on the Thai government in the late 90s to round up a gang of rogue police that were "arresting" Asian tourists and businessmen in the Patpong area and taking them out of town for robbery and summary execution, the latter if they spoke Thai and were thus more likely to follow up on their assailants later, if allowed to live. There were also several Japanese victims but it was only China that pushed the Thai government hard enough to force the BiB to round up its own.

"The Thai troops are thought to have links to a Myanmar drug kingpin."

I think there is something missing here. Shouldn't it read, "The commanding officers of the Thai troops are thought to have links to a Myanmar drug kingpin."

How would squaddies conscripted from Isaan villages have developed such connections. Without clearance from above they can't even leave the camp.

Edited October 29, 201114 yr by Arkady

When foreigners of western nationalities get murdered a cloak of silence and obfuscation seems to descend preventing in many cases anyone being convicted or the crime even being investigated, the same problem does not seem to have presented itself in the case of Chinese victims. I have little doubt someone with great power and influence is involved if we are looking at drug smuggling across borders so I surmise that to overcome such influence to secure prosecutions China must have issued some pretty serious threats, all behind the veil of diplomacy of course.

Maybe they brought thumbscrews - at least we know why Chalerm has been MIA for the last week!

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-10/25/c_122193165.htm

Gunboat diplomacy-Chinese style

When foreigners of western nationalities get murdered a cloak of silence and obfuscation seems to descend preventing in many cases anyone being convicted or the crime even being investigated, the same problem does not seem to have presented itself in the case of Chinese victims. I have little doubt someone with great power and influence is involved if we are looking at drug smuggling across borders so I surmise that to overcome such influence to secure prosecutions China must have issued some pretty serious threats, all behind the veil of diplomacy of course.

Maybe they brought thumbscrews - at least we know why Chalerm has been MIA for the last week!

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-10/25/c_122193165.htm

Yeah ... where the f__k is Charlerm. He's the Deputy PM for Christ's sake. But then .. so is Sannan. These two jokers are not only MIA, they are AWOL.

Watch out ... there is something cooking.

Absolutely a nexus of smuggling of all sorts of 'products'.

Is that to say a hub?

More spokes and not likely to roll too well.

Gunboat diplomacy-Chinese style

Political Correctness is not in the Chinese lexicon. They are a major power and their motto is "Don't <deleted> with us!"

"Links to Myanmar drug kingpin" ...this begs the question of whether the Chinese ships were smuggling drugs.

Yes, much more to this story. Could also have been a mission to stop drug smuggling closer to the source, before it reaches Thailand, and also send a message.

I live in China and State-run TV just had a news crawl that said "9 arrested in death of 13 Chinese sailors", no mention of soldiers. This morning it was "9 Thai soldiers turn themselves in for murder of 13 Chinese sailors".

Compared to the national outrage displayed when multiple HK tourist were killed in a hostage standoff in the Philippines, this is getting very little play, and it seems to be minimized more after the Thai arrests were first announced.

Methinks there is much to this story on the Chinese side as well.

Sorry about double posts: Right after I typed the above, CCTV Beijing had a short piece that said a Chinese official "met with the Thai Deputy Prime Minister" in Chiang Rai today and urged "him to get to the bottom of the affair".

I assume the Thai Deputy PM was Chalerm?

Sorry about double posts: Right after I typed the above, CCTV Beijing had a short piece that said a Chinese official "met with the Thai Deputy Prime Minister" in Chiang Rai today and urged "him to get to the bottom of the affair".

I assume the Thai Deputy PM was Chalerm?

It could have been Sannan who has more contacts and credibility with the military.

what were the cargo ships for? Counterfeit goods? Very likely.

Strange, nothing mentioned about that. CR is the main smuggling route for counterfeit products from China. The same as MaiSa(I think)i to the Burmese border also a hub of counterfeit, all produce from China, Hongkong and Taiwan (watches etc). Thais go there regularly to buy brand goods there.

what were the cargo ships for? Counterfeit goods? Very likely.

Strange, nothing mentioned about that. CR is the main smuggling route for counterfeit products from China. The same as MaiSa(I think)i to the Burmese border also a hub of counterfeit, all produce from China, Hongkong and Taiwan (watches etc). Thais go there regularly to buy brand goods there.

I think one of them was carrying garlic...................

they did recover almost a million yaabaa tablets from the boats...

Nothing to do with the Thai army other than the fact that they are soldiers in the Thai army. Otherwise no connection of course.

I think they're saying that the "case" has nothing to do with the Thai army.

Sorry about double posts: Right after I typed the above, CCTV Beijing had a short piece that said a Chinese official "met with the Thai Deputy Prime Minister" in Chiang Rai today and urged "him to get to the bottom of the affair".

I assume the Thai Deputy PM was Chalerm?

It could have been Sannan who has more contacts and credibility with the military.

Sanan was Dep PM in the Abhisit govt. After the election he resigned from cabinet, and doesn't have any role in the current govt as far as I know.

It could have been Sannan who has more contacts and credibility with the military.

Sanan was Dep PM in the Abhisit govt. After the election he resigned from cabinet, and doesn't have any role in the current govt as far as I know.

The DPMs are Yongyuth, Chalerm, Kowit, Kittirat and Chompol Silpa-Archa.

China will do everything and anything to defend it's commercial activities. If a few Chinese tourists died, it would be a totally different story. But when merchants die as a result of seeking income, their big brothers will expose their true aggressiveness. Thailand SHOULD be afraid. Thailand SHOULD be VERY afraid. Right or wrong, Thailand was, is and will always be ready to sacrifice righteousness and the innocent to maintain peace and good relations. But when it comes to Thai sovereignty, we are mean mothers too!!!

Sure this is right. Big drug business must be involved and by product business - human trafficking..etc. Big business. Chinese didn't seem to care ever when Chinese tourist were killed on a bus or van or a few were hit by motorcycles, but big business is different.