Gunmen fire on Chinese merchant boat

KUNMING - A Chinese commercial vessel was attacked on Saturday by unidentified gunmen in the Mekong River's deadly Golden Triangle region, known for its criminal activity.

The merchant boat Shengtai 11 was shot at by firearms from the Laotian side as it was returning from Chiang Saen Port in Thailand to Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna of Southwest China's Yunnan province at about 7:10 pm on Saturday, a police officer from the Yunnan provincial border defense corps, who did not want to be identified, told China Daily on Sunday.

The attacked boat, which was carrying timber, immediately sought help after the gunfire, he said.