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AFP : Myanmar embassy gunmen leave
- Subject: AFP : Myanmar embassy gunmen leave
- From: euburma@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 03 Oct 1999 05:09:00
Subject: AFP : Myanmar embassy gunmen leave trail of mystery
Myanmar embassy gunmen leave trail of mystery
by Dan Eaton
BANGKOK, Oct 3 (AFP) - Gunmen who stormed the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok
demanding the junta hold talks with Aung San Suu Kyi's democratic
opposition have left a trail of mystery paradoxes after fleeing to the
border. Who the gunmen were, and if their action signals a resort to
violence by Myanmar students in their quest for democracy after years of
political stalemate, remains uncertain. The only person who really seemed
sure of the armed group's identity was Thai Interior Minister Sanan
Kachonprasart.
"They are not terrorists, they are students who fight for democracy,"
he told reporters after Thai authorities provided them with a helicopter to
the border.
"They can go anywhere they want," he said, as long as they did not stay
in Thailand.
The five armed men calling themselves the "Vigorous Burmese Student
Warriors" held almost 40 people hostage, including diplomats and
foreigners, for more than 24 hours after storming the Myanmar embassy here
Friday. They demanded the Myanmar junta free all political prisoners and
open talks with the National League for Democracy (NLD), which
overwhelmingly won the 1990 elections ignored by the military.
Meanwhile, the NLD in Yangon, and exiled student groups and activist
NGOs here, sympathised with their objectives but quickly denounced any
involvement and the use of armed force.
"We categorically condemn the seizure of the embassy and the taking of
hostages," the NLD said.
It said the embassy crisis was the result of "many acts of injustice
and cruelty repeatedly perpetrated by the military regime".
The gunmen expressed deep frustration at the political stalemate in
Myanmar, hinting they were a student splinter group.
Yet, at first glance, they do not appear to represent a new generation
of activists within pro-democracy ranks.
According to reports quoting police and NGOs here the leader of the
group, identified as San Naing, alias "Johnny," had a long record of
terrorist activities committed in the name of democracy. Under another name
he hijacked a domestic Myanmar airliner in 1989 and diverted it to
Thailand. He was sentenced to six years in jail here, but released under a
royal pardon after serving only three. Having been refused asylum in
Australia, he later spent more time in prison on explosives charges.
The attack on Yangon's embassy put the Thai government in a
predicament. Officials here were not in a position to negotiate demands for
a change in Myanmar's military government.
And Sanan's statement leaves a question mark over the future of
Thailand's relations with its neighbour and fellow Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) member. ASEAN has has a policy of not commenting
on, or interfering in, the internal affairs of member nations.
Then there are the ironies: Thailand's government earns praise from its
usual critics, activist NGOs, and the US is found in a rare moment of
solidarity with the Myanmar junta. "Although the incident is over, it is
also very important to make these criminals realise that no matter under
what pretext or disguise it might have been staged, the peace-loving people
of the world community will not tolerate the criminal and terrorist
activities they have committed," an official junta statement said. The
United States used similar words to condemn the attack.
"We strongly condemn this terrorist attack on a diplomatic
establishment and the taking of hostages, regardless of the perpetrators'
motives or demands," State Department spokesman James Rubin told reporters
in Washington.
"There is simply no justification for terrorism under any circumstances."
Yet the embassy attackers appear for the moment to have pulled off a
remarkable coup, returning Myanmar's political stalemate to the
international limelight, and getting away with it. Human rights groups
and dissidents released a statement warning Myanmar's ASEAN partners that
the hostage crisis should be considered a "wake up call."
"The event is a grim reminder that there are consequences for failing
to achieve peaceful positive changes in Burma," said the statement, signed
by nine organisations.
"The best way to prevent such unfortunate events from recurring in
ASEAN's front yard is to engage in a peaceful, political process at an
early stage."
Thin Myat Thu (Thida) Tel: + 47 22 414143
Web Editor Fax: + 47 22 413929
Democratic Voice of Burma http://www.communique.no/dvb