China-Thailand joint naval drill ends successfully

BANGKOK, May 10 (TNA) - This year's joint naval drill between the Chinese and the Thai Marine Corps, under the code name "Blue Strike 2019", has come to an end successfully. The closing ceremony of the one-week "Blue Strike 2019", jointly conducted between the Chinese and the Thai Marine Corps, was held on May 9 aboard China's large-scaled LPD 987 landing ship, and the Thai marine squad returned to Zhanjiang, a Chinese major naval base in Guangdong Province thereafter. Earlier on May 6, the Chinese and the Thai Marine Corps embarked the LPD 987 landing ship to participate in their two-day amphibious operations at a field site in Guangdong's Shanwei City, as part of the "Blue Strike 2019" naval drill, set during May 2-8. Rear Admiral Paisan Meesri, Commander of the Royal Thai Navy's Frigate Squadron 2, led the Thai Marine Corps to join in the one-week "Blue Strike 2019", together with the Kingdom's His Thai Majesty's Ship (HTMS) Naresuan and HTMS Bangpakong, in China, where the latest developed 25,000 ton-LPD 987 landing ship was introduced to also share its potentially practicality as a vast floating dock to cater for amphibious and landing craft air cushion (LCAC) military units and a total of about 800 officers, as well as to be turned to be a field floating hospital to serve wounded soldiers, or general patients in cases of marine disasters. China and Thailand have taken turn to host their biennial war games, conducted by their navy forces, aimed to strengthen ties and cooperation and to share experiences between the two allied nations, reflecting their sound and longtime friendship.(TNA)