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Junta condemns dissidents as 'crimi
Subject: Junta condemns dissidents as 'criminals'
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<font size=7 color="#FF0000"><b>Junta condemns dissidents as
'criminals'<br>
</font><font size=5 color="#000000"><i>Democracy League repudiates
violence<br>
<br>
</i>B</font></b><font size=3>urma's junta kept a studied silence during
the Bangkok hostage drama that ended on Saturday, issuing only one
statement in which it dubbed the dissident gunmen
"terrorists".<br>
On Friday the regime issued a single statement noting simply that men
armed with AK-47 rifles had taken the embassy staff hostage.<br>
Burma's government-run newspapers ran brief reports on Saturday stating
that "terrorists" had taken over the embassy and Thai
authorities were negotiating with them to hand over the hostages.<br>
Rangoon never officially responded to the self-styled Vigorous Burmese
Students Warriors' demands that they free all political prisoners,
convene parliament or acknowledge the 1990 general election victory of
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy
(NLD).<br>
Observers in Rangoon said the junta, if it had handled the hostage crisis
itself, would have never backed down to the dissidents' demands for fear
of setting a precedent.<br>
Burma's military government branded the five rebels criminals and
terrorists, and is likely to view Thailand's tolerant attitude as
provocative.<br>
"Although the incident has been 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 the terrorist activities
they have committed," said an official Burmese news release.<br>
The NLD condemned the seizure, while dissidents in exile praised Thailand
for ending the siege peacefully.<br>
In a statement released yesterday the NLD said the attack was contrary to
its non-violent principles.<br>
"While we understand the aspirations and frustrations of students
and other democracy activists who have been forced to leave Burma by the
repressive measures of the military regime, we categorically condemn the
seizure of the embassy and the taking of hostages," the statement
said.<br>
The party, which won the last election in 1990 by a landslide only for
the ruling military to ignore the result, blamed the incident on
repression in Burma.<br>
"We would like to draw the attention of the world to the fact that
this act of violence at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok is an effect of
the many acts of injustice and cruelty repeatedly perpetrated by the
military regime in Myanmar [Burma]," it said.<br>
France hailed the outcome of the siege and thanked Thai authorities for
their actions. <br>
Three French citizens were among 38 hostages seized inside the embassy
and subsequently released in good health.-Agencies<br>
<br>
BKK-Post 4.oct.99<br>
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