The corpses of two Chinese sailors are still awaiting cremation more than a month after they were murdered on the Mekong River along with thirteen of their countrymen.

Those families who agree to have their murdered relatives cremated are entitled to 200,000 yuan in compensation from the local government. However, the two remaining families are refusing, complaining that major questions remain about the circumstances of the massacre.

In the meantime, the governments of China, Laos, Burma and Thailand, are trying to agrees to a new system to guarantee safety on the river that flows through their countries.

Fang Youguo(方有國), general secretary of Lantsang ship-owners’association says that China has commandeered five commercial to be used on patrols , and that the operation will require 1,000 people. Shipping has been suspended on the Chinese side of the Mekong since the Oct. 5 attack, and the government hopes to reopen the river on Nov 25.

Links and Sources

Beijing Times: 遇害者家屬有望獲20萬救助金