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<font face="ARIAL" color="#800000"><b>BURMESE EMBASSY SIEGE<br>
</font><font size=7 color="#000000">Dissidents' leader linked to
hijacking<br>
</font></b><font size=5><i>Released last year after 8 years in jail<br>
</i><b>T</font></b><font size=3>he man who led the Vigorous Burmese
Students Warriors group in taking over the Burmese embassy could be the
same person who hijacked a plane from Rangoon to Thailand in 1989,
according to a human rights lawyer.<br>
Somchai Homla-or, secretary-general of Forum Asia, a regional human
rights organisation, said information he had gathered since the takeover
indicated that the dissidents' leader, who went by the name of Johnny,
might be San Naing, one of two Burmese who hijacked the Union of Burma
Airways flight to demand democracy in his country and the release of
opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was then under house 
arrest.<br>
The 33-year-old San Naing was later arrested by Thai authorities and
spent more than eight years in jail. After he was released early last
year, Chalida Thajaroensak, Forum Asia co-ordinator, was involved in
helping him seek asylum in a third country.<br>
It was Ms Chalida who managed to get through on an embassy phone line to
talk to Johnny. She offered to go to the embassy with an unnamed academic
to talk with him and he accepted.<br>
Mr Somchai said he stopped Ms Chalida from going out of concern for her
safety, because she was not trained to handle this type of
situation.<br>
The human rights lawyer said his group had been working with the
authorities and had urged them to try to resolve the situation without
resorting to violence, because the dissidents had not mistreated the
hostages.<br>
Mr Somchai believed the dissidents belonged to a splinter group and
arrived in Bangkok only a few days ago from the Burmese border.<br>
Anti-Rangoon groups in Thailand all denied knowledge of the group, which
called itself The Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors.<br>
Soe Aung, of the All Burma Students Democratic Front, suspected the group
had only recently been formed.<br>
&quot;We are sure none of them is a member of the Democratic Front,&quot;
he said. &quot;We don't have any such policy [of violence] and we don't
know why they are doing it.&quot;The Democratic Front adopted a policy of
non-violence last year, he said. &quot;We are only lobbying and
campaigning for international pressure for dialogue,&quot; he said,
referring to longstanding efforts to compel the military junta in Rangoon
to talk with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.<br>
Debbie Stothard, of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma, believed none
of the mainstream dissident groups was involved.<br>
But she did not rule out the possibility some &quot;free radicals&quot;
from splinter groups were acting out of desperation amid deteriorating
conditions in Burma.<br>
&quot;We are extremely concerned for the safety of everyone
involved,&quot; the activist said.<br>
The Karen National Union ruled out any links with the raiders.<br>
Padoe Mahn Sha, the KNU's joint general-secretary, said his group would
never target an embassy in a foreign country.<br>
&quot;We still adhere to the principle of peaceful negotiation. &quot;The
KNU's armed engagements with government soldiers along the border are in
self-defence. It is the government that is trying to get rid of us,&quot;
he said.<br>
Tin Maung Win, vice-chairman of the Democratic Alliance of Burma, said
the group did not believe in using violence to restore democracy to his
country.<br>
&quot; We are not that type. We believe in peaceful negotiations and call
on the ruling junta to come to the negotiating table.&quot;However, there
were many frustrated Burmese dissidents.<br>
It appeared they had finally decided to seek world exposure for their
cause and the plight of the Burmese people, he said.<br>
The Burmese democracy groups in Thailand would never resort to such
methods.<br>
&quot;We don't want to embarrass the Thai government,&quot; he said<br>
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