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E-mail Xinhua, November 8, 2012
A Chinese court on Tuesday sentenced Naw Kham, a drug lord from Myanmar, and three of his subordinates to death for the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year.
![Naw Kham (1st R, front), principal suspect accused in the Mekong River murder case, and five accomplices hear their verdicts at court in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Nov. 6, 2012. [Xinhua photo]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20121108/001372acd0b512054b0901.jpg "Naw Kham (1st R, front), principal suspect accused in the Mekong River murder case, and five accomplices hear their verdicts at court in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Nov. 6, 2012. [Xinhua photo]") |
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Naw Kham (1st R, front), principal suspect accused in the Mekong River murder case, and five accomplices hear their verdicts at court in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Nov. 6, 2012. [Xinhua photo] |
For families who lost their loved ones in the murder, justice has been done. It will also calm those people living along the Mekong River who have frequently been targeted by criminals.
It also shows the Chinese government's resolve and growing capability to protect its increasing number of nationals working overseas.
Naw Kham and his gang members were found to have masterminded and colluded with Thai soldiers in an attack on two Chinese cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, on Oct. 5, 2011 on the Mekong River, the court said in an investigative report.
Senior cabinet members from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand met in Beijing on Oct. 31 last year and agreed to take joint action to crack down on cross-border crime and secure transportation along the Mekong River.
Joint patrols along the Mekong River have been carried out since then and trade is reviving.
The unprecedented trial for foreigners who committed crimes against Chinese nationals outside of China will likely give criminals reason to think twice before committing similar acts.
It will also give confidence and a sense of safety to the millions of Chinese nationals working overseas, assuring them that the Chinese government is concerned about them and will spare no effort to protect their rights.
A rising China can better protect its citizens. China has grown to become the world's second-largest economy. It is capable of using every means to guarantee the safety of Chinese nationals.
The Chinese government's decisiveness and efficiency in evacuating Chinese nationals from war-torn Libya last February and March impressed the whole world.
About 35,860 Chinese nationals were evacuated from the African country via chartered flights, military airplanes, cargo ferries, escort ships and buses.
Chinese military warships conducting escort missions in the Gulf of Aden have protected Chinese merchant ships from pirates since 2008.
Ensuring the safety of overseas Chinese citizens is a significant challenge for the government, as more and more Chinese people have chosen to cross borders to find business opportunities in light of the Chinese economic boom. The government has also encouraged Chinese enterprises to go global and compete in the international market.
The successful trial gives us insight into how to face such challenges. Extending the scope of legal protection to foreign lands where Chinese nationals live is an effective way to protect their interests.
Achieving this will require regional cooperation among China and other countries.
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