At 9:00 am on January 26th, three Chinese law enforcement boats participating in the 161st China Laos Myanmar Thailand Mekong Joint Patrol and Law Enforcement Operation set sail from Jingha and Guanlei Police Stations in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, marking the beginning of the 2026 China Laos Myanmar Thailand Mekong Joint Patrol and Law Enforcement Operation. This operation is carried out through a combination of segmented patrol law enforcement and joint patrol law enforcement in key sensitive waters. Three Chinese law enforcement boats set sail from Xishuangbanna, China, while two Lao law enforcement boats and one Myanmar law enforcement boat set sail simultaneously from Banxiangguo, Mengmo, and Wanbang in Laos. The law enforcement boats of all parties carry out segmented patrol law enforcement until they meet in the designated water area and jointly carry out joint patrol law enforcement operations. Chinese boats 53101 and 53105 set sail from Jingha Police Pier in Xishuangbanna. Prior to the operation, relevant law enforcement departments from China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand held a joint command meeting and information exchange meeting in Jinghong, Xishuangbanna to report on the recent security situation in the Mekong River Basin and the effectiveness of various parties in cracking down on illegal activities. They jointly discussed action plans and reached a consensus. During the operation, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand will carry out joint law enforcement actions in key waters of the Mekong River as planned, continuously cracking down on various illegal and criminal activities in the basin, and making every effort to ensure the safety and stability of the Mekong River basin by the end of the year. In addition, the four parties will also hold a summary meeting of the 2025 China Laos Myanmar Thailand Mekong River Joint Patrol and Law Enforcement Action in Thailand, jointly reviewing and summarizing the achievements of law enforcement cooperation in 2025, and holding consultations on deepening law enforcement cooperation among the four countries in 2026. (New Society)