Bangkok (VNA) – China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand carried out their 160th joint patrol and law enforcement operation along the Mekong River from December 26-29, involving about approximately 170 personnel and six patrol vessels.
The operation began at Guanlei Port and ended at Jingha Port, both in Yunnan province of China.
Humphan Keovanglat, political commissar of the military area of Luang Namtha province in Laos, said the patrols have greatly improved safety and stability. Cross-border travel is now smooth and secure, trade flows seamlessly, and people's sense of happiness and fulfilment has increased, he said.
Than Naing Oo, captain of Myanmar's No 171 patrol boat, said the joint mechanism allows for rapid intelligence sharing.
He further added that joint patrols strengthen security cooperation and promote regional development, benefiting residents.
Ran Xi, a member of the special police unit of the water patrol division of the Yunnan Provincial Department of Public Security, also highlighted improved safety along the waterways.
Merchant ships now navigate safely on their own, and there have been no gunfire or bomb incidents in recent years, he said.
Jiang Zhida, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said the joint patrol mechanism effectively safeguards river security, curbs cross-border crime and promotes development.
It serves as a safeguard for the stability and prosperity of the Lancang-Mekong region, laying a solid security foundation for building a Lancang-Mekong community with a shared future, he stated./.
