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Today in History: Chinese cargo crews killed on Thailand’s Mekong River

By Drooid · Oct 5, 2026, 10:33 AM UTC · How we work

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Summary

Story summary

On 5 October 2011, gunmen ambushed two Chinese cargo vessels on the Mekong River’s Golden Triangle stretch, killing all 13 crew members and discarding their bodies. China halted Mekong shipping, secured a joint patrol pact with Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, and later saw drug lord Naw Kham and three accomplices tried and executed for the massacre.

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Story summary

On 5 October 2011, gunmen ambushed two Chinese cargo vessels on the Mekong River’s Golden Triangle stretch, killing all 13 crew members and discarding their bodies. China halted Mekong shipping, secured a joint patrol pact with Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, and later saw drug lord Naw Kham and three accomplices tried and executed for the massacre.