Suspect of Mekong River attack pleads guilty
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E-mail Xinhua, September 22, 2012
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Naw Kham is seen at the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2012. Naw Kham, principal suspect for the murders of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year, pleaded guilty Friday evening when he and five other people were standing trial in southwest China. [Wang Shen/Xinhua] |
![Naw Kham is seen at the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2012. Naw Kham, principal suspect for the murders of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year, pleaded guilty Friday evening when he and five other people were standing trial in southwest China. [Wang Shen/Xinhua]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20120922/000cf1bdc9db11c7618717.jpg "Naw Kham is seen at the Intermediate People's Court of Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, Sept. 21, 2012. Naw Kham, principal suspect for the murders of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River last year, pleaded guilty Friday evening when he and five other people were standing trial in southwest China. [Wang Shen/Xinhua]")
The court also heard the trial of the incidental civil action of the case on Friday.
Victims wanted civil compensation of tens of millions yuan but the court did not reveal the exact figures.
Naw Kham did not deny the evidence provided by the prosecutors on Friday. He said he was willing to pay compensation, adding that he had 30 million baht (about 6 million yuan or 951,139 U.S. dollars).
Begging for lighter punishment, the other five defendants also pleaded guilty in court but said they had no money for compensation.
Nie Tao, a Chinese police officer with the special task force of the case, said police from both China and Thailand exchanged views on the nine Thai soldiers who were allegedly involved in the case on Friday afternoon.
Chinese police will continue to cooperate with the Thai police in the investigation into and prosecution of the nine Thai soldiers, Nie said.
The Naw Kham crime ring was busted earlier this year in a joint operation by police from China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand after the brutal murders of the Chinese sailors triggered an outcry in China last year.
The 13 Chinese sailors were confirmed dead after two cargo ships, the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8, were hijacked on Oct. 5, 2011 on the Mekong River.
With a length of almost 5,000 km, the Mekong River, known in China as the Lancang River, is one of the most important waterways in Southeast Asia, linking the countries of China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It plays a crucial economic role among the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries.
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