XISHUANGBANNA, Yunnan, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Police forces from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand finished a joint patrol on the Mekong River on Thursday, during which a contact point was established in the Golden Triangle waters to coordinate their law enforcement efforts.
Three Chinese patrol vessels returned to Xishuangbanna prefecture in southwest China's Yunnan province Thursday after the 37-hour patrol on the river that runs through several countries in Southeast Asia.
The joint patrol was the fifth of its kind since last December after 13 Chinese sailors on two cargo ships in the Mekong River were murdered on Oct. 5 last year.
A joint investigation by police forces of the four countries found evidence that drug lord Naw Kham and a small number of Thai soldiers planned and carried out the murders.
During the fifth joint patrol, police vessels cruised to Laos and established a contact point at a port beside the Mekong River to receive distress signals from vessels passing by on the river and coordinate joint rescue efforts among the police forces.
The patrol vessels also visited Thailand and exchanged intelligence with local police forces. The Chinese police force visited a Chinese merchant vessel docked at Chiang Saen Port and used a radio on board the vessel to reach the contact point in Laos.
As the joint patrol on the Mekong River continues and the contact point has been established in Laos, the joint law enforcement efforts of the four countries will be deepened to maintain shipping security in the area, said Zhu Dezhong, commander of the Chinese patrol fleet.
Senior cabinet members from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand met in Beijing on Oct. 31 last year and agreed to take joint action to crack down on cross-border crime and secure transportation along the Mekong River.
Under the framework of the "Law Enforcement Cooperation along the Mekong River Mechanism," the four countries have created new channels for intelligence exchanges, patrolling and law enforcement, as well as channels for tackling incidents that disrupt public order, combating transnational crimes and dealing with emergency events.
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