Boats underfire on river

THEERAWAT KHAMTHITA


CHIANG RAI : Two long-tail boats carrying people along the Mekong river came under fire from armed men on Wednesday, leaving one dead and several injured. The attack took place near Muang Pong pier near the Burma-Laos border, about 15 kilometres north of the Golden Triangle in Chiang Saen district, said Pakorn Pochaikoop, commander of a Mekong river patrol boat unit.


The unidentified group opened fire on the two boats in the same area a Chinese patrol boat was attacked on Feb 25, he said. Authorities could not identify the victims as the injured swam ashore and were rescued by local people on the Laos side of the river.