On July 1, police from China and Vietnam began joint
investigations into cross-border women and children abduction
cases. The two-month campaign is aimed at cracking down on
cross-border abduction cases, according to Xiong Jian, a police
officer from the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department.
The campaign was launched just before the start of the second
summit of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Economic Cooperation
Program on Monday in Kunming, capital of southwest Yunnan
Province.
Human abductions and trafficking has been high on the agenda of
the GMS program since it was established in 1992.
People living in border areas are especially vulnerable to being
kidnapped and sold.
Yunnan Province borders Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos with more than
4,000 kilometers of boundary. But most of the border is unmarked.
There are no fences and there are dangerous passes in many places
along the border.
According to Xiong, the campaign will cover 12 counties and
cities in Yunnan Province and Guangxi
Zhuang Autonomous Region, and six cities and prefectures in
Vietnam including Lang Son and Lai Chau, where abduction rates are
very high.
Xiong also said that prior to the campaign, police from the two
countries had carried out preliminary investigations into ongoing
cases. Working together, they hope to solve these cases more
efficiently and effectively.
Xiong added that joint investigations will be launched
regularly. Police forces hope to develop a long-term mechanism to
protect the interests of women and children from both
countries.
In the last five years, China has rescued and repatriated more
than 1,000 Vietnamese women.
(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan July 6, 2005)