The_Munchmaster Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 From the BBC Nine Thai soldiers have been detained following a deadly attack on two cargo ships on the Mekong river near the Thai-Burma border. Thirteen Chinese crew members died in the attack, which happened in early October, in an area notorious for drug production and smuggling. Their bodies were found floating in the river. A police spokesman in Thailand said the soldiers had surrendered on Friday. The Thai troops were working for an anti-drug task force. According to media reports, some of the dead crew members had been bound and gagged, others had been blindfolded with tape and some had been shot. "Police will prosecute all nine soldiers," National police chief General Priewpan Damapong told reporters, according to Agence France Presse. "Their actions have nothing to do with the Thai army." The soldiers handed themselves over in Thailand's northern Chiang Rai province. China's Vice Minister of Public Security, Zhang Xinfeng, is currently visiting Thailand to investigate the attack. He said the arrests represented "important progress", according to Xinhua. China also sent patrol boats down the Mekong to escort 164 stranded Chinese sailors and 28 cargo ships back home. The "Golden Triangle" - where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet - is a region notorious for drug smuggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Attack on Chinese ships was personal, says Chalerm CHIANG RAI : Police have solid evidence which suggests that weapons were fired from the Thai side towards the cargo ships in which 13 crew members were found dead on the Mekong River earlier this month, said Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung. A background check on the victims shows they had no convictions for drugs offences, said Mr Chalerm, who oversees the national police. Still, he distanced the army from the attack, saying the operation was personal and had nothing to do with the military. Police have pressed charges of murder and tampering with evidence against a group of nine army officers including a major and a lieutenant over the deaths of the 13 men. The nine officers reported to Chiang Rai police on Friday. The victims were crew members of two Chinese-flagged cargo ships. Their bodies, handcuffed and bound and presenting gunshot wounds, were retrieved from the Mekong days after the attack. Before the bodies were found, it had been speculated the crew members had been killed by drug traffickers. One dead body and about 920,000 methamphetamine pills body were found on board by the nine officers, attached to the Pha Muang Task Force. Chinese authorities have urged Thailand to probe the attack and suspend shipping operations in the river. A senior Chinese official yesterday urged Thailand to provide compensation to the families of the 13 Chinese sailors killed in the attack. The request was made by Guo Shaochun, deputy chief of theDepartment of Consular Affairs, who was briefed of the progress of the investigation into the killings by Mr Chalerm at a resort in Chiang Saen district. Mr Guo yesterday expressed appreciation over the speedy investigation and called on Thailand to start considering compensation for the victims' families. He said the families would take action once the details of the attack unfold. Mr Chalerm said he has appointed a team of senior police to take charge of the case. The probe is headed by national police chief Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong with deputy national police chief Pol Gen Phanupong Singhara na Ayudhya serving as the chief investigator and deputy police chief Pol Gen Pansiri Prapawat in charge of interrogations. Mr Chalerm said the attack had received much attention in China and the country has taken a special interest in it by sending its own authorities to join the investigation. Two senior police officials have left for China to report developments to authorities there. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/263830/attack-on-chinese-ships-was-personal-says-chalerm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 So were the drugs planted, or are they normal cargo on Chinese ships? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kamui Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Attack on Chinese ships was personal, says Chalerm A background check on the victims shows they had no convictions for drugs offences, said Mr Chalerm, who oversees the national police. Still, he distanced the army from the attack, saying the operation was personal and had nothing to do with the military. Police have pressed charges of murder and tampering with evidence against a group of nine army officers including a major and a lieutenant over the deaths of the 13 men. The nine officers reported to Chiang Rai police on Friday. The victims were crew members of two Chinese-flagged cargo ships. Their bodies, handcuffed and bound and presenting gunshot wounds, were retrieved from the Mekong days after the attack. Before the bodies were found, it had been speculated the crew members had been killed by drug traffickers. One dead body and about 920,000 methamphetamine pills body were found on board by the nine officers, attached to the Pha Muang Task Force. http://www.bangkokpo...al-says-chalerm Yep, completely personal: 9 higher ranking Thai soldiers kill or most probably ordered 13 sailors to be killed. Afterwards they try to cover it up by finding drugs and only one dead body. It seems that a drug deal went completely wrong or it was a failed hostile take over by the Thai soldiers. Too bad for the army and Chalerm that the sailors were Chinese and that Big Brother isn't happy about this at all. As we know the Chinese are extremely nationalistic. The Chinese want answers and monetary compensation. This won't come cheap for the Thai army/ government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 They can shoot 13 Thai Army officers. Seems a fair exchange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radioman Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 They can shoot 13 Thai Army officers. Seems a fair exchange. How so? 13 Chinese sailors would be a useful body of men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted October 30, 2011 Report Share Posted October 30, 2011 Dress them in sailor suits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mekong Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 Update on this case. A Chinese court has sentenced a Burmese drug smuggler to death over the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong river, state media report. Naw Kham was extradited to China in May to stand trial over the deaths. Three other members of his gang also received the death penalty and two more were jailed by the court in Kunming. The 13 crew members were found dead in two Chinese cargo ships on the Thai side of the Mekong in October 2011. Officials say the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8 ships were attacked on 5 October as they sailed on the river in the Golden Triangle, where the borders of Laos, Burma and Thailand meet. All six men were charged with "intentional homicide, drug trafficking, kidnapping and ship hijacking", Xinhua news agency said. The nationality of five of the men remains unclear. All six will appeal, the Xinhua report said. Naw Kham has been described as a warlord from Shan state believed to be behind a drug-smuggling network in the Golden Triangle. Nine Thai soldiers have also been named as suspects in the case - about which much remains unclear. The killings caused outrage in China and prompted Beijing to send gunboat patrols to the Mekong. http://www.bbc.co.uk...d-asia-20216328 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boo Radley Posted November 7, 2012 Report Share Posted November 7, 2012 So the 9 Thai soldiers seem to have got off and Burmese nationals have been left to take the blame? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.thumb.jpg.aa309c1a64393b54fa746a45c064e12e.jpg)
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.