Chinese cargo ship attacked

A CHINESE cargo ship carrying logs on the Mekong river has been fired on by unidentified attackers, the Chinese ministry of public security said.

The Shengtai-11 was returning to Xishuangbanna, in the Chinese border province of Yunnan, from Thailand when it was fired on from the Lao side of the river, the ministry said. No-one was injured. China, Laos, Burma and Thailand conducted a joint armed patrol on the Mekong in December, after an October incident in which 13 Chinese sailors were killed. That incident occurred in the Golden Triangle, which is notorious for drug smuggling.

China’s wealth and international status has allowed it to extend its law enforcement beyond its borders in recent years.