Bodies of 12 Chinese crew found in river

The bodies 12 Chinese boat crew members, allegedly killed by drug traffickers, were found in the Mekong River in Thailand, Chinese officials said Sunday.Drug traffickers are suspected of hijacking two cargo vessels and abducting the crew members last Wednesday, China Daily reported, quoting a provincial foreign affairs official.The newspaper said one more crew member remained missing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry had urged Thai authorities to look for the missing crew members, the report said.The bodies of the victims, some suspected to have been shot, were found near Chiang Saen Port in Chiang Rai in northern Thailand during the weekend, China Daily reported.A Thai military official was quoted as telling the Thai media drug traffickers are suspected to have commandeered the boats to smuggle drugs into Thailand from Myanmar, the newspaper said.Authorities reportedly seized more than $3 million worth of speed pills from the boats, which were also carrying garlic, apples and fuel, the report said."There were 13 people on the two Chinese boats, named Yuxing 8 Hao and Huaping," a Chinese official in Yunnan province said. They included two women working as cooks for the crew.The owner of the Yuxing 8 Hao told China Daily the Chinese crew members had nothing to with the drug traffickers.