Drug lord Naw Kham executed in China

Drug lord Naw Kham and three accomplices, including a Thai, were executed by injection yesterday in Kunming (China). They were sentenced to death for the murder of thirteen Chinese crew members in October 2011 on the Mekong River in Thailand.

Chinese state television showed footage of Kham as police released his handcuffs and tied his hands behind his back with a rope, a standard ritual for an execution in China.

Kham was arrested in Laos in April last year and deported to China. He managed to evade justice for 10 years. All the while he could do his thing undisturbed in the Golden Triangle, the border area of ​​Thailand, Laos and Myanmar.

In October 2011, Kham and his gang hijacked two Chinese freighters, killed the crew and dumped the bodies in the river. They were found later. They were handcuffed, blindfolded and some had their necks broken. 920.000 speed pills were found on the ships.

China then halted freight and passenger traffic on the river for some time. After the resumption, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos decided to jointly patrol the Mekong to protect the Chinese freighters.

During his interrogation and trial in China, Kham changed his statement several times. He would be innocent, Thai soldiers would have killed the Chinese, but he pleaded guilty during his appeal.

Nine Thai soldiers have been arrested in connection with the murder. They are also suspected of the murder. The court in Chiang Mai has determined that the Chinese were killed with the firearms of the soldiers and Naw Kham.

A 57-year-old Thai is still being sought who is suspected of planning the murder together with Kham and the soldiers. He was already arrested in 1983 for possession of heroin.

Thailand's Office of the Narcotics Control Board continues its efforts to seize Kham's assets. Previously, houses, land and other assets worth 100 million baht in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai have already been seized. The family has two years to appeal.

(Source: Bangkok Post, March 2, 2013)