Grenade Attacks towards Chinese Cargo Ships on Mekong

Thai police stated that a rebel group on the Mekong River has attacked one Burmese patrol ship, and four Chinese cargo ships using grenade launchers on Wednesday. 

Xinhua, Chinese state media agency, reported that the unknown group of attackers attacked the vessels near a Burmese port on the Mekong using two M79 grenade launchers in the early hours of morning.  One grenade fell into the water, and the other exploded near the ships, but left no casualties or damage to the vessels.  Another Chinese media source, The People’s Daily, identified three of their cargo ships involved as the Baoshou 8, Baoshou 9 and Yuanfeng.

PHOTO: Map of the Mekong River.

News of the violent and unprovoked attacks surfaces just a few months after the October gun slaughtering of 13 Chinese sailors in October on the Mekong River, spanning the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar.  The fatal outcome of that attack is still undergoing trial, and as Thai police investigate the incident, they discovered foul play within their own country’s servicemen involved. 

Following the slaying incident, shipping on the Mekong River was suspended until December when Chinese police began to patrol the waters with aid from Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. 

The Mekong River is an integral economic player for all countries in the Greater Mekong Subregion, including China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.