Drug lord gets death sentence (3)

"The trial reflected China's determination to fight cross-border crime, and its confidence to protect the legitimate rights of its citizens overseas," Nie Tao, director of legal department under the Yunnan provincial public security bureau said.

Lin Li, Naw Kham's lawyer, said her rights to meet the defendant and access his files were guaranteed during the detention.

"I visited him three times in the Yunnan detention center during the three months when he was detained there," she said. "Naw Kham asked me about Chinese criminal laws and regulations. He sometimes stared blankly during my visits," said Lin.

Nie said Thai police and prosecuting departments are speeding up the judicial process regarding the nine Thai soldiers, who are suspected to have colluded with Naw Kham's criminal gang to plot the murder.

"We are intensifying judicial operations with Thai police, and actively providing them with relevant evidence to identify Thai soldiers' crimes," he said.

Liu Jiayi, a criminal lawyer at a law firm, said it's legally appropriate to sentence Naw Kham and the other three core members of the gang to death.