Film relives 2011 murder of Chinese on Mekong, ban possible
Hong Kong-Chinese action film based on murder of 13 Chinese sailors on Mekong River in 2011 by Myanmar drug lord may be banned in Thailand.
Hong Kong-Chinese action film based on murder of 13 Chinese sailors on Mekong River in 2011 by Myanmar drug lord may be banned in Thailand.
FILMS, HISTORY & CENSORSHIP
Operation Mekong: New film relives 2011 murder of Chinese on Mekong may be banned
28/09/2016
Prangthong Jitcharoenkul
A Hong Kong-Chinese action film re-enacting the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in 2011 by a notorious Myanmar drug kingpin may be banned in Thailand.
The film, directed by Dante Lam and due to open on Friday in Hong Kong.
HISTORY IN THE FILM
Shan Drug lord Naw Kham when he was younger.
The film is about the massacre in the Golden Triangle area of the Mekong river (bordering Chiang Rai) on Oct 5, 2011.
In what became a famous incident 13 Chinese crew members from two Chinese cargo ships were brutally killed by a Myanmar drug trafficking ring.
Their bodies were found blindfolded, handcuffed and dumped in the river off Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai province.
With the help of Thai and Lao authorities, Chinese police brought the prime suspect from Myanmar, Naw Kham, to justice, along with his accomplices.
Naw Kham, a drug kingpin in the Golden Triangle, and his gang were found guilty of attacking the two Chinese cargo ships.
Naw Kham at the time of his extradition to China to stand trial.
FOUND TO HAVE WORKED WITH THAI SOLDIERS, BY CHINESE COURT
They were found to have worked in collusion with Thai soldiers in the Chiang Rai section of the river, after kidnapping other Chinese sailors and holding their ships for ransom earlier the same year, the Chinese court said.
Shan suspected drug kingpin Naw Kham, or Jai Norkham, is pictured in Vientiane, Laos, prior to his extradition to China.
During his trial, Naw Kham blamed Thai soldiers for the murders.
He later pleaded guilty to the charges, before changing his plea again at the appeal hearing, Chinese state media reports said.
After Naw Kham's attack armed patrols along the Mekong were increased.
THREE EXECUTED IN 2013 FOR THE MURDERS
Naw Kham was executed in March 2013 in China along with three accomplices, including a Thai national, as punishment for the crime of murder.
The executions were carried out by lethal injection by a court in Kunming, capital of Yunnan province.
Armed Mekong patrol.
FILM WILL BE BANNED IF DAMAGING TO THAILAND'S IMAGE
The new film will be banned from being screened in Thailand if it is found to "damage" the country, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday.
"I have ordered authorities to check the content of Operation Mekong. If it is damaging, it will be banned," Gen Prayut said.
However, most people use the internet to access movies nowadays, so banning the movie entirely may prove difficult.
Workers unload goods from Chinese boats at Chiang Saen.
Chinese boat heavily laden with goods on Mekong River at Chiang Saen.
Boat headed to China with goods, heading up river during period with low water levels.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1096597/pm-mulls-operation-mekong-ban
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