PB53106: Navigating the Mekong River

By Zhang Minjiao

Patrol Boat 53106 was enlisted in 2015 as one of the second generation of law-enforcement vessels engaging in the joint Mekong River patrols by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. Since then, it has played a major role in law enforcement operations under the River Patrol Squad of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Bureau to meet the security challenges posed by the troubled waterways and social issues along the Mekong River. It is common to see PB53106 berthed at the picturesque Jingha port on a midsummer day with 17 police officers on board, always alert..

On May 25, an award ceremony was held in Beijing to honor the role model groups from the national public security system, and PB53106 was awarded the title of "Merit Grassroots Organ of the National Public Security System"for its performance in multiple joint Mekong River patrols.On September 21, PB53106 was presented the Hero Medal of the Laotian People’s Army(Class III) by the National Defense Ministry of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

PB53106 is a heralded name among the law-enforcement officers along the Mekong River. Its captain, Yan Yizhang,told the press that its on-board officers are from 11 different provinces of China, but together they form a model team famed for their shared qualities of endurance, fighting spirit,and dedication.

Most of the officers on PB53106 were transferred from PB53103, a civilian boat named "Shuangxing"owned by Huang Cheng, a family member of one of the 2011 Mekong River massacre victims, before it was upgraded into a military vessel.

Less than fifty days after the gruesome murders were committed on October 5, 2011, over 200 border inspection officers from 11 frontier and coastal Public Security Frontier Corps converged on Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, determined to safeguard the local stability and prosperity. At that time, however, all the enforcement vessels at the service of the River Patrol Squad were transformed from privately owned boats running with such poor conditions that life on board was difficult and upstream navigation was risky.When the vessels were stranded, the law enforcement officers would come to their rescue.

Today, Huang Cheng has become a patrol officer himself in the squad, surrounded by police officers all with the same commitment and embracing an honorable sense of mission and belonging.

Stories like this are innumerable in the River Patrol Squad. In November 2011, in response to a recruitment notice calling for captains, more than half of the captains working on civilian vessels on the Mekong River rushed to sign up. After a stringent screening procedure, ten candidates made it through to the end and joined forces to protect the Mekong River. Over time, some of them have grown into navigation-and-tech savvy veterans in the River Patrol Squad.

A "Surgeon"of Injured Patrol Vessels

Yan Yizhang, captain of PB53106, is among the first batch of officers to have joined the law enforcement forces along the Mekong River. In 2011, to answer the call of duty in the wake of the Mekong murder, he left rich coastal China and went to work in Guanlei, a frontier town in Yunnan, to set up a local water patrol detachment. Yan has been involved in many initiatives, including ship delivery carrying aid to Myanmar,over ninety joint patrol operations, twelve resident training sessions for Chinese and Lao ships, six annual lookout exercises and three overseas missions.

Working under torturous conditions with high temperatures and constant noise for many years, Yan has developed severe tympanitis. At the worst times,he couldn’t hear properly due to the great pain, but still he never complained about nor flinched away from his responsibilities. He was always the first to appear on site to deal with faulty machines, and therefore has won himself the nickname of the "surgeon"of injured patrol vessels along the Mekong River.

Yan has addressed over 800 patrol boat malfunctions,and is highly commended by his foreign counterparts. His hundreds of machine troubleshooting performances have cut maintenance costs for the squad by over a million yuan.During a maiden voyage of a joint patrol operation, Yan was assigned to work on a Myanmar law enforcement craft to assist his foreign counterparts. Not long after the launch, the vessel sailed into the Lao territory, and the engine cabin hit rocks and water flooded in. Yan first reported the accident to the authorities and then promptly evaluated the situation based on his experience, then assembled all the technical officers to stem the leak. The flooding was quickly stopped and the ship came back to life again. Thanks to his immediate and professional response, the maiden voyage went smoothly for the rest of the mission.

A Steadfast Commitment to the Escort Mission

Li Tianyao, a former captain of a civilian ship, was recruited by the squad in the aftermath of the Mekong River massacre, and has since grown into a technical expert. In his eyes, PB53106, though a workplace, also has the warm of home. The River Patrol Squad has a strong fraternal spirit. The team members have set sail together for multiple joint patrols,each cherishing the same sense of mission. They have spent more time with each other on board than with their families,and as a matter of course, regard each other as brothers.

Despite improvements on board, , these law enforcement officers still lead a tough life. Even simple tasks such as sleeping, eating and washing up are difficult and require special skills, as the environment is damp, and drinking water and food materials are limited. As a result, they have learned how to adapt and seek joy amid hardships.

The relationship between the sailors onboard PB53106 are like that between masters and apprentices, as well as colleagues and brothers. If anything happens, they stick up for each other. In their concerted pursuit of honoring their flagship, there emerged a group of role models winning many honors and titles, including two Merit Citations (Class II),nine Merit Citations (Class III), three "Honorable Communist Party Members", one "Role Model for Joint Patrol Operations by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand"awarded by Ministry of Public Security, and two "Role Models for Military Drills"issued by Ministry of Public Security.

Patrol Missions Bound to be Accomplished

Under the leadership of the Mekong River Joint Patrol and Law Enforcement Center, PB53106 has been on a mission to beef up its law-enforcement capacity by tapping experience from the joint operations. Focusing more on elaborate logistic plans so as to improve efficiency, the team has never recoiled from taking on challenges no matter how demanding and urgent they are.

By August 2022, PB53106 has participated in over sixty joint patrol operations by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, twenty one cross-border river patrols, eleven resident training sessions at the local points of contact in Laos, and four major annual joint military exercises conducted by China, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand from 2017 to 2020.These commitments all give full expression to PB53106’s exceptional responsiveness and powerful strength.

On board PB53106 are officers wearing many hats:they are soldiers, publicists, law enforcement pioneers, and diplomats all at the same time. For years, the craft has rescued five stranded ships, made 950 regular visits to 97 vessels,and inspected shipments weighing up to 960 tons. Due to its tremendous contributions to the safety of the waterways and the well-being of the people in the Lancang-Mekong area,PB53106 has garnered applause from many senior officials of relevant authorities of Laos, Myanmar and Thailand.

Following the principle of "combat power comes first",the vessel has come up with many new ideas for selfimprovement. In light of the complex situation in the Mekong River basin, it has introduced a new tactical exercise approach featuring "real soldiers equipped with real weaponry practice skills in real case scenarios", so as to better prepare officers for the missions of vessel control, fugitive tracking and water life-saving. It has also organized a series of technical and tactical training sessions to enhance the officers’ performance in emergencies such as vessel attacks and hijackings, as well as in other policing practices like enemy capture. Since its inception, PB53106 has never forgotten to strengthen patrol coordination, and its rapid development in size has also reinforced its leading role in the local security maintenance efforts. In order to give a fresh look to the social order of its constituent area, it has upgraded its guiding principle,innovated its services to the benefit of the public, engaged in peaceful and harmonious residence development, and promoted the neighborhood lookout and voluntary patrol scheme.

PB53106 has conducted 810 patrol operations in assistance to shipping companies at Jinghong harbor and has helped facilitate liaisons among local departments in charge of customs, maritime and port service affairs. In addition, it has solved many shipping problems and remedied major security issues along the Mekong River. As a new vehicle to serve the public and crack crimes, it will continue to contribute fresh energy to the endeavor of frontier protection.

An epitome of the River Patrol Squad of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Bureau, PB53106 incarnates the commitment to "loyalty, responsibility, guarding and peace"of all the law-enforcement officers who have delivered exemplary performances in every joint patrol. In the future, the squad will do more to deepen the cooperation among China, Laos,Myanmar and Thailand in security maintenance along the Mekong River and write a new chapter in "the Mekong River Spirit"which extols "partnership, teamwork, inclusiveness,equality and mutual benefit".

（Translated by Chen Xiaoying, School of Foreign Languages, Beijing Forestry University)