China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand launch 162nd joint Mekong River patrol
Four countries have deployed a joint flotilla on the Mekong River, with a shared command centre coordinating patrols and enforcement to boost navigation safety and curb cross-border crime.
- China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand have launched their 162nd joint law-enforcement patrol on the Mekong River.
- The operation involves a joint flotilla of vessels from the four nations, directed by a unified command centre with commanders from each country.
- The mission aims to crack down on cross-border crime and ensure the safety and stability of navigation in the river basin.
- Activities will include coordinated water-land inspections, joint interdiction, and an information-exchange meeting in Laos to deepen security cooperation.
Three Chinese law-enforcement vessels - No. 53106, 53107 and 53108 - departed with horns sounding from the Jingha police wharf in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province on Monday morning, marking the official launch of the 162nd joint patrol and law-enforcement operation on the Mekong River involving China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Tuesday.
The Lao vessel No. 003 and the Myanmar vessel No. 161 also set sail respectively from Mengmo in Laos and Wanbang wharf in Myanmar.
After converging in designated waters of the Mekong River, law-enforcement vessels from the four countries will form a joint flotilla to carry out coordinated patrol and law-enforcement operations.
Before the operation, relevant law-enforcement authorities from the four countries held a commanders’ joint meeting in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna, where they discussed the approaching Spring Festival and the busy shipping season on the Mekong River, consulted on deepening law-enforcement cooperation, and reached a consensus on safeguarding the safety and stability of navigation, per CCTV.
A joint command centre has been set up on China’s vessel No. 53107 for this operation, with commanders from all four sides jointly directing the mission.
During the operation, the joint flotilla will conduct coordinated water-land inspections, joint interdiction and publicity activities in key areas of the Mekong River, and will crack down hard on all kinds of cross-border illegal and criminal activities.
In addition, law-enforcement authorities of the four countries will hold an information-exchange meeting in Houayxay, Laos, to jointly assess the current security situation in the Mekong River basin and conduct in-depth consultations on concrete measures to strengthen basin security governance and deepen multilateral law-enforcement cooperation, according to CCTV.
Vientiane Times
