BEIJING: India's fears of increasing Chinese presence in the area around Myanmar took a new turn with Beijing announcing plans to patrol the Mekong river, connecting Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. The move comes in response to the recent killing of 13 Chinese seamen in two cargo ships that were attacked by pirates near the Thai-Burma border. Beijing managed to persuade the three countries, under immense pressure from China, to go for joint patrol of the Mekong to ensure such incidents are not repeated. The headquarters of the joint patrol will be in China, with branches in the other three countries. Indian experts were alarmed when China got a port construction contract in Myanmar recently, which will give Beijing considerable access to the Bay of Bengal area. China has also established strong presence in Sri Lanka.
