Mekong murder suspect transferred to Chinese police

Drug lord suspected of masterminding the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year was transferred to Chinese police here on Thursday. Naw Kham, head of an armed drug gang, was arrested on April 25 at an undisclosed location, and has been sent to China on a chartered plane dispatched by Chinese authorities. Liu Yuejin, director of the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, said that China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand worked together to fight transnational crime and succeeded in the arrests of Naw Kham and the gang's core members, maintaining safety and stability along the Mekong River. The Naw Kham gang had more than 100 members armed with AK assault rifles, M16 rifles, bazookas and machine guns. They are thought to have been engaged in drug trafficking, kidnapping, murder, looting and other crimes along the Mekong River for many years. Liu said the joint police investigation in China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand found that Naw Kham, core members of the gang and a small number of Thai army men planned and conducted the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on two cargo ships on Oct. 5 last year. The Chinese government had ordered a thorough investigation into the murder and that the perpetrators be brought to justice. 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 built sub-mechanisms for intelligence exchanges, patrolling and law enforcement, as well as for tackling major problems jeopardizing public order, combating transnational crimes and dealing with emergency events. After the meeting, Chinese police sent task forces to the other three countries to work together with their law-enforcement agencies. The cooperation of Chinese and Lao police led to the arrest of Naw Kham on April 25. Previously, a number of suspects had been arrested by the law enforcement agencies of the four countries.