Mekong patrols help ensure mariners' safety

The captain: Tan Jianhua, 43

In October 2011, when the Chinese crew members were murdered and dumped in the Mekong River near the so-called Golden Triangle where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet, I was heartbroken and angry because some of them were my friends.

I knew it was sometimes dangerous to sail on the river, and I have witnessed hundreds of accidents and gained extensive experience in the region, but never in that way.

Before I came to the Mekong, I sailed in cargo ships in Chongqing, my hometown, on its stretch of the Yangtze River. I had graduated from a river transport services school just a year before.

In 1998, some friends told me I could earn more on the Mekong, so I decided to head south to Yunnan. When I arrived, I joked to a friend that compared with the Yangtze, the Mekong is more like a brook and it should be pretty easy to sail there.

I gradually worked my way up through the ranks. In 2004, I became a captain after four years' work, when I successfully piloted a 348-kilometer stretch of the Mekong from Jinghong in Yunnan to Chiang Saen in northern Thailand. That made me believe I could take the helm.

After decades on the Mekong, I am familiar with all the villages along the waterway and the hidden reefs and trees that lie in wait for unsuspecting mariners. But still, I did not expect the 2011 tragedy on the river could ever happen.

I am at about the midpoint of my career as a captain. After the shooting, I decided to spend the rest of my career ensuring safer navigation on the river.

In November 2011, in response to a call for experienced helmsmen, I became a surveillance officer for the Yunnan Border Patrol Department, undertaking marine patrols and law-enforcement duties on the river.

I was excited when I set off to patrol the river for the first time as a police officer. I was happy to see that old friends could navigate the river without worrying about their safety or their lives.

Some of my old friends left the river after the massacre, but some stayed in port and waited for things to improve. I chose to remain on the river because I have spent most of my career here and the river is part of my life.

Now, I have patrolled the Mekong more than 60 times, and every time I pass through the waters where my friends lost their lives, I cannot help thinking of them.

I am happy to see my fellow sailors working on the river in safety and making more money to support their families. I will give every ounce of my strength to guarantee that their journeys are safe.