New joint patrol launched on Mekong River

A new round of joint patrols between China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand were launched at a Chinese port on the Mekong River Tuesday to make the border river safer.

The 53rd mission since 2011 will use seven ships and 190 law enforcers. The ships set sail from Guanlei Port in Xishuangbanna, southwest China's Yunnan Province, and will travel over 500 kilometers.

The joint patrols started in December 2011 to tackle safety concerns after a gang hijacked two cargo ships and killed 13 Chinese sailors in Thai waters on Oct. 5, 2011.

A total of 386 vessels and over 8,000 law enforcers covered 26,000 kilometers of waterways during previous joint patrols.

The number of vessels passing major ports of the four countries on the river, and trade volume of the ports, have markedly exceeded the levels before the patrols began in 2011, Xishuangbanna border police said. Endi