Joint police operation on Kunming-Bangkok highway effective

Since the joint law-enforcement operations by Chinese, Lao and Thai police was launched at four check points, the number of cross-border crimes on the Kunming-Bangkok highway has been drastically reduced, according to a China Border Police News report.

“The joint inspection and check-ups are fast and the highway is easy and safe,” said Zhang, an international bus driver who frequently transports cargos among China, Laos and Thailand.

The Kunming-Bangkok highway opened to traffic in 2008, and the Kunming-Vientiane trip has been shortened by at least 7 hours since then.

In ensuing years, the four cross border check points, involving Mohan and Boten near the China-Laos border and Houayxay and Chiang Khong near the Laos-Thailand border, have emerged as key junctures for international trade on the Kunming-Bangkok highway.

Meanwhile, the four check points are adjacent to the Golden Triangle area, and cross-border criminal cases involving drug trafficking, smuggling and illegal crossings also surfaced, posing challenges to border management. 

In July 2015, China, Laos and Thailand jointly launched the international policing cooperation mechanism to jointly cope with the arrival and departure peaks, as well as various emergencies. All cases were properly handled.

In one case, a Chinese national was illegally detained in Laos, and he called the Mohan border police for help. Using the policing cooperation mechanism, the Chinese border police contacted the Boten police and the victim was rescued within 12 hours.

In the past three years, the Mohan border police rescued 10 Chinese nationals who illegally detained outside China, opened the Green Channel 63 times, and aided 146 outbound Chinese tourists. 

Reporting by Yang Xi; trans-editing by Wang Shixue