Drug lord gets death sentence

A Chinese court has sentenced a drug lord from Myanmar and three of his subordinates to death for the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year.

Another two members of drug lord Naw Kham's gang, identified by their Chinese names Zha Bo and Zha Tuobo, received the death sentence with a reprieve, and eight years in prison respectively, according to a verdict handed down by the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming in Southwest China's Yunnan province on Tuesday.

Zha Bo and Zha Tuobo are also from Myanmar.

The six convicted criminals, comprising five people from Myanmar, Thailand and Laos and one stateless person, faced charges of intentional homicide, drug trafficking, kidnapping and hijacking or a combination of those offenses. The criminals were ordered by the court to pay compensation to victims' families totaling 6 million yuan ($960,000).

All six defendants said they will appeal Tuesday's verdict.

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