The killing of 13 Chinese sailors in north Thailand last week have sparked fury against the brutal murderous drug traffickers in the notorious Golden Triangle from both China and Thailand.

Chinese Internet users launched waves of attacks on the killers of the 13 innocent people, demanding the authorities to bring the criminals to justice and crack down on drug rings in the illicit opium-producing region.

More than 278,540 about the case have been posted Monday on weibo.com, China's most popular microblog website. "I couldn't fall asleep after seeing the news last night. The authorities owe justice to its people, especially the killed people and their relatives," Xie Yuting, a Chinese Internet user posted.

Last week, gang members hijacked two China-flagged ships on the Mekong River to move large amounts of drugs, killing 13 innocent Chinese during the bloody operation.

The audacity and cruelty of the drug traffickers shocked peace- loving people both in China and Thailand and was a shrieking defiance of the two countries' law, battle against drugs and efforts to protect their people.

The Chinese authorities have taken every measure within its jurisdiction. China's Foreign Ministry on Sunday urged related authorities to find out the truth, arrest the killers as soon as possible and ensure safety along the Mekong River.

Yunnan Province, which borders Thailand and where some of the killed sailors were from, has dispatched a team of officials to Chiang Rai, where the incident occurred. A team from the central government will soon depart from Beijing. Relatives of the killed are expected to see the sailors' bodies later this week.

The Thai authorities are also proactive in solving the case. They have launched a joint investigation of police, army and government into the case. Seramsak Seesan, chief of Chiang Saen District, said investigators have identified the killers as a ring of Shan, or Tai Yai, an ethnic group led by Nor Kham with about 400 armed men.

Seramsak pledged to cooperate with the Chinese and Laos authorities to ensure the safety along the Mekong River."In a near future, the Thai authorities will cooperate with Chinese and Laos officers to protect commercial ships using the Mae Khong River."

Addressing public concerns over the case in Thailand, the Bangkok Post, one of Thailand's most influential English media, posted an editorial condemning the gangsters, "the deaths of innocent people, and the fear of honest people even to do business on the Mekong River are unacceptable."

The rage of China and Thailand's people and the power of the states' law demand no mercy for the killers and drug traffickers.