In the Golden Triangle region of the Mekong River, there is a section known as the "Gate of Hell." Two Chinese merchant ships were attacked by unidentified assailants while passing through this area. The Thai military later held a press conference, accusing the merchant ships of being involved in drug trafficking. Although it was claimed that all crew members had escaped, the bodies of 13 Chinese crew members were soon discovered, all brutally murdered. This shocking incident garnered significant attention from Chinese police. Gao Gang (played by Zhang Hanyu), the captain of the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department, was assigned to lead a task force to Thailand. There, he teamed up with intelligence officer Fang Xinwu (played by Eddie Peng) to investigate. According to intelligence, the case was orchestrated by the notorious Golden Triangle drug lord, Naw Khar. Greedy and ruthless, Naw Khar posed a major threat to the safety of transportation in the Mekong River region. To bring him to justice, China, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand launched joint patrols. While focusing efforts on dismantling Naw Khar's drug production bases, Gao Gang and his team ventured into dangerous territory, engaging in a fierce battle against the inhuman drug traffickers...
The members of the operation have aliases: in the Chinese version they are named after deities in Chinese folk religion,[citation needed] while in the English versions the names are changed to deities in Greek mythology.[4]
Operation Mekong was released on 30 September 2016. It concerns an incident that occurred in Chiang Saen District of Chiang Rai Province on 5 October 2011 when 13 Chinese crew members from two cargo ships were murdered by a Myanmar drug-trafficking ring.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, responding to news of the film's imminent release, said that the film would be banned in Thailand if it was found to "damage" the country. "I have ordered authorities to check the content of Operation Mekong. If it is damaging, it will be banned," Gen Prayut said.[6] Some believe that the reason for his government's nervousness is that Thai troops, the "elite" anti-drug Pa Muang Task Force, were known to have been at the scene of the massacre.[7] Nine soldiers were arrested, but "...have since disappeared from the justice system."[7] Naw Kham, a Golden Triangle drug kingpin, and his gang were found guilty of attacking the two Chinese cargo ships in collusion with Thai soldiers. He was executed in March 2013 in China along with three accomplices, including a Thai national.[6]
Reception
The film has grossed CN¥1.17 billion at the Chinese box office.[2]
Jessica Kiang of Variety stated that Operation Mekong "hurtles by in an enjoyably giddy, propulsive rush right until the final titles, which dedicate the film to the dead fishermen and detail the fate of the real Naw Kham."[4] Kiang stated that the sense of escapism in the film may be interfered with by the references to real life tragedies.[4]
