Four nations conclude Mekong River patrol

BEIJING - Chinese police and their counterparts from Laos, Myanmar and Thailand on Wednesday concluded another joint patrol aimed at maintaining security along the Mekong River, a major regional transport passage shared by the four nations.

The joint patrol fleet arrived at Guanlei Port, located in Xishuangbanna prefecture of Southwest China's Yunnan province, at 3:00 pm, following two similar missions conducted by the four countries in December and January.

International transport on the Mekong River fully resumed after the four nations' law enforcement agencies conducted their joint patrol last December and stepped up cooperation to ensure the safety of the river after tourists were robbed there last August and 13 Chinese sailors on two cargo ships were killed in the area on October 5.

The four nations' joint command conducted the first working meeting between March 2 and 4, discussing measures for strengthening coordination on joint patrols.

Laos, Myanmar and Thailand have also proposed cracking down on gun and drug trafficking, illegal armed activities and the abduction of women and children along the Mekong River during joint patrols.