Beijing begins co-ordinated patrols with Laos, Myanmar and Thailand in response to murder of Chinese sailors in October.
China says its armed police have begun a joint patrol of the Mekong river with forces from neighbouring Myanmar, Laos and Thailand, in a bid to protect its nationals in the violence-troubled region.
The patrols are a response to the deaths of 13 Chinese sailors who were attacked in October in the Golden Triangle region, where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet in an area notorious for drug smuggling.
Beijing has long contributed police to UN peacekeeping missions overseas, but this is believed to be the first time they will work in another country's territory without a UN mandate.
Drug smugglers were initially suspected over the deaths, but nine Thai soldiers later turned themselves in over the killings.
Sailors shipping Chinese manufactured goods and agriculture produce downriver have long complained of armed gangs that loot their boats or demand cash.
The Chinese force is made up of more than 200 officers and men drawn from border patrol units along China's coast and major rivers.
They will sail in 11 converted flat-bottomed passenger and cargo ships based in the Mekong River port of Guanlei, on China's border with Myanmar.
State broadcaster CCTV ran footage showing the troops holding drills on board a ship with the latest models of Chinese assault rifles.
"It's the first time in the history of Chinese border guarding to go abroad to another country to jointly enforce the law." Liu Jianhong, the force's political commissar, told CCTV.
"This is a groundbreaking model of a police co-operation mechanism,"
China's growing presence
In addition to the patrols, China will host a multinational Mekong river security headquarters at Guanlei staffed by officials from the four countries.
The communist state has also offered to dispatch experts to help train security personnel in Myanmar and Laos.
The 4,900km Mekong snakes from China into Southeast Asia, where it forms the border between Myanmar and Laos, and then Thailand and Laos.
In 2001, the four countries signed an agreement to regularise shipping on the river.
China's growing presence in Asia, Africa and other parts of the world has prompted attacks, kidnappings and hijackings of its nationals and the issue has become a sensitive one for Chinese officials.
While China has long eschewed overseas military deployments and alliances, its growing economic interests abroad have compelled it to re-evaluate such notions.
At the end of 2008, Beijing began sending naval vessels to take part in anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's coast, helping to escort both Chinese ships and those carrying UN food aid.
XISHUANGBANNA, Yunnan - International shipping traffic on the Mekong River waterway has been fully restored on Saturday, the first time since it came to a standstill two months ago after 13 Chinese sailors were murdered on the river.
Chinese police officers stand on board a patrol boat before leaving Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna, Southwest China's Yunnan province, on Saturday. Cui Meng / China Daily
On Saturday, the first voyage of the joint patrol law enforcement mission was launched. The joint patrols on the Mekong involve four countries - China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, and were launched from Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna, southwest China's Yunnan province.
At 10:30 am, five patrol boats carrying more than 200 Chinese armed police and 100 men from the other countries set sail from Guanlei as escort for 10 Chinese cargo ships. Those on board included 42 naval officers from Myanmar and 15 army personnel from Thailand and Laos.
"Maintaining the security and stability of the Mekong River basin is not only the common aspiration, but the common responsibility of the four countries," Bouasieng Champaphan, the deputy chief of the Laos People's Army, said during the ceremony.
"In order to effectively cope with prominent crimes on the river, each respective country will strengthen the law enforcement within its own waters and further deepen joint law enforcement security cooperation based on mutual respect for sovereignty, equality and mutual benefit," he said.
According to the joint statement, the command center is at Guanlei in Xishuangbanna, with contact points in Laos, Myanmar and Thailand to ensure timely sharing of intelligence, organization and coordination, and to establish 24-hour joint patrols and law enforcement liaison channels.
According to the Ministry, the 200 Chinese armed police are under the Yunnan Provincial Border Defense Corps, and they will carry out the armed escorts with enforcement officers from the three other countries.
A senior officer from the joint patrol command center told China Daily that the first armed convoy of five boats would escort the 10 Chinese cargo vessels from Guanlei to Qingsheng harbor in Thailand, a distance of 254 kilometers.
Meng Hongwei, vice-minister of the Ministry of Public Security said the four countries would carry out patrolling of the whole river, and supply convoys to accompany commercial vessels.
The patrols will also combat criminal activity along the river to safeguard ships and crew.
Kyaw Kyaw Tun, the head of the Myanmar Police Force, said in recent years, 17 people have died carrying out their duties on the Mekong, including 12 policemen, one militia man and three sailors.
Wichean Potephosree, Secretary General of the National Security Council of Thailand, said Thailand is stepping up efforts to crack down on criminal activities on the Mekong to ensure security of the river's traffic in Thailand.
"Thanks to the joint patrols, this first voyage after the October attacks should be very safe. There's nothing to worry about as long as we sail with the patrol boats," said Du Guangyou, captain of the Bao Shou, the first of the 10 cargo ships which sailed from Guanlei after the ceremony.
However, Du was still anxious as he said the three Chinese patrol boats would turn back at the Thai border, where the deadly attacks took place. His anxiety is that there may be river bandits waiting if the escort is not alongside.
