Mekong River patrol goes after drug crimes

Six law-enforcement boats left from ports on Tuesday in Jingha, Yunnan province, and from the borders of Laos and Myanmar for the 103rd Mekong River joint patrol. 

The China-Laos-Myanmar-Thailand patrol will focus on combating drug crimes in the Lancang-Mekong River region, combining patrols by sector with region-wide patrols.  

Before setting out, law enforcement authorities from the four countries held a remote video conference to discuss and analyze safety issues in the Mekong River region. They finalized a detailed patrol plan to address cross-border drug crimes.  

Before the advent of the joint patrols, the four countries had fought illegal immigration in cross-border areas on their own.

Tang Ziye contributed to this story.