The BurmaNet News: October 4, 1999

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The BurmaNet News: October 4, 1999
Issue #1371

Noted in Passing: "This is a wake-up call for Asean to be actively involved
in resolving conflicts before they explode into violence." - Somchai Homla,
Forum-Asia (see BANGKOK POST: ASEAN URGED TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN BURMA
ISSUES)

HEADLINES:
==========
BKK POST: HOSTAGE-TAKERS CROSS TO BURMA
REUTERS: MYANMAR EMBASSY GUNMEN VILLAINS THEN HEROES
BKK POST: ASEAN URGED TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN BURMA ISSUES
THE NATION: SANAN STATEMENT MAY CAUSE RIFT
REUTERS: MYANMAR'S NLD CONDEMNS EMBASSY ATTACK
THE NATION: EMBASSY INCIDENT WON'T BE THE LAST
BKK POST: ATTACK ON EMBASSY IS AN OUTRAGE
BKK POST: JUNTA WARNS DISSIDENTS, DON'T TRY TO CUT CORNERS
BKK POST: BURMA JUNTA SHUTS BORDER IN RESPONSE
NLM: ARMED TERRORISTS HOLD MYANMAR EMBASSY STAFF IN THAILAND HOSTAGE
*****************************************************

BANGKOK POST: HOSTAGE - TAKERS CROSS TO BURMA
3 October, 1999

ALL CAPTIVES FREED AFTER TENSE MOMENT

After a 25-hour tense stand-off, the five Burmese dissident students
yesterday ended their siege of the Burmese embassy and freed all the 38
hostages before they were flown to the Burmese border in Ratchaburi in the
company of M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the deputy foreign minister.

The students later crossed into Burma.

The embassy seige, the second in 27 years after the seizure of the Israeli
embassy in 1972 by a splinter Palestinian terrorist group, known as the
Black September, prompted M.R. Sukhumbhand to call for all parties
concerned, including foreign embassies in Thailand, to review the security
system to ensure that such an incident is not allowed to be repeated.

Echoing security concerns, Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart who played
a pivotal role in negotiating a peaceful end to the hostage drama, said the
incident would serve as an "expensive lesson" for Thailand.

"The first priority is to tighten the monitoring of people from neighbouring
countries who are engaged in political activities in Thailand," he said.
The first sign of a breakthrough in the hostage drama was evident at about
8.30am yesterday when the hostage takers agreed to free one of the hostages,
21-year old Mrs Wannarat Udomsamut who is four months pregnant. Shortly
afterwards, another Burmese hostage was also released.

Mrs Wannarat was freed after she complained of stomach pains.
Negotiations between the heavily armed Burmese dissident students and Thai
authorities, headed by Maj-Gen Sanan, resumed yesterday morning after both
sides called off talks around midnight on Friday.

Police said the Burmese students had demanded that they be flown by
helicopter with some of the hostages as a guarantee for their safe passage
to the Thai-Burmese border. Thai authorities accepted their demand but
wanted all the hostages to be freed unharmed.

Police said the students then demanded that the helicopters be told to land
in the embassy compound. A saw was then handed to the students as demanded
to cut off the flagpole to pave way for the landing of the helicopters.

At first, the Thai negotiators wanted the helicopters to land at the nearby
Bangkok Christian College. But this was rejected by the dissident students
who insisted that the helicopters could land in the embassy.

Eventually, the negotiating team agreed to the demand and a police chopper
was ordered to try to make a landing on the embassy grounds. The pilot tried
unsuccessfully and finally headed back to Bangkok Christian College.

At about noon, two vans moved into the embassy to pick up the five Burmese
students and some of the hostages for a short van ride to the college where
two helicopters were supposed to be on standby to fly them to the Burmese
border in Ratchaburi province.

Trouble started however when one of the students riding in one of the two
vans fired two shots when the van was stopped at a police roadblock. One of
the Thai hostages, Prasert Lueng-Aramvej, who had acted as a middleman
between the Burmese students and Thai authorities then called the Thai
officials to question the location of the helicopters, saying the students
were jittery.

Mr Prasert was told by the interior minister that two helicopters were
waiting at the Armed Forces Academy Preparatory School and was asked to pass
on his message to the Burmese students that all the hostages must be freed
and that M.R. Sukhumbhand had agreed to offer himself as a hostage in
exchange for their release. The deal was accepted.

After the release of all the hostages, M.R. Sukhumbhand boarded a helicopter
with the five Burmese students for the flight to Ratchaburi. About half an
hour later, the aircraft landed in Ban Kluey district where the students
took off and crossed to Burma.

*****************************************************

REUTERS: MYANMAR EMBASSY GUNMEN VILLAINS THEN HEROES
3 October, 1999 By David Brunnstrom

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Probably the most bizarre sight after a dramatic
siege at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok at the weekend was that of hostages
cheering their former captors as they escaped by helicopter.

It appeared to be more than simple ``Stockholm Syndrome'' -- the
psychological condition whereby after close confinement with their captors
hostages begin to see them as friends. It seemed like genuine sympathy with
their cause.

The five dissident gunmen held 89 hostages to publicise demands for
democracy in Myanmar. They called on the ruling military government to free
political prisoners, start a dialogue with the opposition and convene a
democratic parliament.

[...]

A group of at least seven foreign hostages, some with pro-democracy
headbands, shouted ``Free Burma'' and flashed ``V for victory'' signs as the
attackers made their getaway. Some hostages wept and praised Thailand for
letting the dissidents go.

``They talked about their reasons for doing this thing. They didn't fear
death,'' the Bangkok Post quoted one of Western women hostages as saying of
her captors. ``I really appreciate them and praise them as heroes of my
heart forever.''

Thai hostage Wannarat Udomsamutr, released early as she was four months
pregnant, said: ``I feel sympathy for them and I am concerned about the
political situation in Myanmar.''

THAI GOVERNMENT ALSO SHOWED SYMPATHY

Even Thailand's Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, in a comment bound
to anger Myanmar's generals, seemed determined to prove that one man's
terrorist is another's freedom fighter.

``We have given them safe passage to their own country,'' he said. ``We
don't consider them to be terrorists. They are student activists who fight
for democracy.''

Sanan's comment is certain to incense the military rulers of Myanmar, like
Thailand a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

But it was an indication of democratic Thailand's attitude towards a
neighbour which slaughtered thousands to crush a pro-democracy uprising in
1988 and then ignored an election result two years later.

Myanmar condemned the hostage-taking. It said on Saturday: ``It's 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.''

[...]

Other dissidents in living in exile, like the All Burma Students' Democratic
Front, worried that Thailand may take a tougher line with them after the
incident and a demand by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai for a review of
security measures.

``The ABSDF hopes that punitive measures will not be taken against the
peaceful democratic and ethnic groups as a consequence of this recent
crisis,'' it said.

But the bloodless end to the siege has eased many fears.

``Everyone has ended up being quite sympathetic given they haven't seen
people beaten up or shot in front of them,'' said Debbie Stothard of the
democracy support group ALTSEAN Burma which had urged Thailand not to turn
the activists over to the Myanmar authorities.

Naung Maung Aye, general secretary of the National Council of the Union of
Burma which groups dissidents in exile, said: ``Because nobody died and no
one was wounded it's a good outcome.''

He added: ``We don't want to officially recognise this operation, but at the
same time we don't want to officially condemn it. We don't want to call them
terrorists as they did this to draw attention to what is happening in
Myanmar.

``A lot of Burmese people are happy they did what they did because they
don't like the military regime.''

*****************************************************

BANGKOK POST: ASEAN URGED TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN BURMA ISSUES
3 October, 1999 by Aphaluck Bhatiasevi

Asean and other international organizations have been urged to pressure the
Burmese military government to begin a dialogue with pro-democracy activists
and opposition leaders to avoid future violence.

In a statement issued jointly by non-government organizations supporting
Burma's pro-democracy movement, they urged the Thai government, as the chair
of Asean, to immediately initiate diplomatic offensives to push for positive
reforms in Burma.

"Asean should explore all possible non-military approaches to solve this
problem before it worsens. "Asean should also seriously work with its
dialogue partners at ensuring a coordinated and firm approach," the
statement said.

It was jointly issued by Forum-Asia, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the
National Council of the Union of Burma, Friends Without Border Project,
Campaign for Popular Democracy, the Coordinating Committee of Human Rights
Organisations in Thailand, the Students Federation of Thailand, the Thai
Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, the Union for Civil Liberty and the
Alternative Asean Network in Burma.

"This is a wake-up call for Asean to be actively involved in resolving
conflicts before they explode into violence," said human rights lawyer
Somchai Homla-or of Forum-Asia.

Debbie Stothard, the coordinator of the Alternative Asean Network on Burma,
said the Burmese people were losing confidence and patience and it was
proving difficult for them to remain committed to non-violent action.

"Violent sentiments will grow and will hurt not only neighbouring countries,
but also the Burmese regime," she said.

Ms Stothard called on the Burmese government to respond to the increasing
calls for democracy and resort to dialogue with opposition leaders.

With tears in her eyes, Ms Stothard said though she did not know the
Vigorous
Burmese Student Warriors, she understood their feelings well because "they
feel the pain of being away from their home and families for so many years".

Mr Somchai said the incident was a grim reminder of the failure to achieve
positive changes in Burma peacefully. International communities had a moral
obligation to actively support non-violent means to resolve conflicts.

He said Asean, with Burma as a member, had a responsibility to bring about
peace and democracy within the country, which was not considered an internal
affair of that country alone.

Teddy Buri, an exiled politician from the National Coalition Government of
the Union of Burma, said Asean should not only concentrate on economic
matters, but also look at the political and social stability of their
members.

The embassy assault was a result of desperation and frustration after 11
years of peaceful calls had been left unanswered.

The group urged Thai authorities not to embark on a security backlash
against other exile organizations that have been pursuing non-violent means
to achieve human rights and democracy in Burma.

"Hunting down such organizations will only diminish the voices and abilities
of non-violent groups. "We are confident that all these groups will actively
co-operate with authorities in their investigations if their security is not
threatened," said Mr Somchai.

*****************************************************

THE NATION: SANAN STATEMENT MAY CAUSE RIFT
3 October, 1999

IN A statement that could lead to a major diplomatic controversy, Interior
Minister Sanan Kachornprasart yesterday called the gunmen that seized the
Burmese Embassy and captured dozens of hostages, ''students fighting for
democracy'' not international terrorists.

''We have given them safe passage to their own country. We don't consider
them to be terrorists. They are student activists who fight for democracy,''
said Sanan, who served as one of the negotiators. ''We have done as we
promised.''
It was an intriguing remark, to say the least, given before local and
international media against the backdrop of senior police and military
officials lined up behind him in front of the Bayer building which served as
a temporary command centre for Thai authorities.

Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai said Thailand would not hunt down the young
rebels who were flown to the Thai-Burmese border and dropped there as part
of the deal to defuse the crisis.

Asked if letting the students go would hurt bilateral relations, Chuan said:
''No. We helped them (the Burmese) solve their problems. The students don't
have any problem with Thailand. They demanded something which didn't concern
us.''

Asked if the Burmese government had thanked Thailand for helping solve the
crisis, Chuan said: ''Not yet. But solving the situation was our duty.''
Speaking on a local radio station, the dissident group's leader, who
identified himself as Johnny, earlier said the rebels wanted to be flown to
the border area to join an unidentified ''revolutionary group''.

Sanan said he did not know where the five were heading and warned legal
action would be taken against them if they returned. There was speculation
the rebels might seek protection from the Karen, the last major ethnic
minority group fighting the central Burmese government from border enclaves.

[...]

The gunmen had earlier chopped down the embassy flagpole from which they had
flown their ''fighting peacock'' democracy flag, apparently to make way for
a helicopter.

The attackers fired several times in the embassy, but none of the hostages,
held in the ambassador's office, were harmed.

The attack on the embassy put the government in an embarrassing position.
Officials said Thailand was not in a position to negotiate many of the
demands of the dissidents that involved a change of the military government
in Burma or its political system.

Many Burmese students fled to Thailand after the military killed thousands
when it crushed a pro-democracy uprising in 1988. But the storming of the
embassy marks a radical departure from years of peaceful protests by
opponents of Burmese military rule.

US State Department spokesman James Rubin said Washington strongly condemned
''this terrorist attack'', regardless of the motives and demands of the
perpetrators.

While uncertainties shroud Thai-Burmese relations in the wake of the hostage
crisis, the Thai government's move has earned praise from its usual
critics -- non-government organisations.

Charan Distapichai, a university lecturer-cum-activist who was once
apprehended in Burma for pro-democracy activities, hailed Sanan and Deputy
Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra. ''I am not normally a fan of this
government, but today I was impressed by the way the Burmese heroes were
treated and by Sanan's statements,'' Charan said.

*****************************************************

REUTERS: MYANMAR'S NLD CONDEMNS EMBASSY ATTACK
3 October, 1999 by By Anchalee Koetsawang

BANGKOK, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National
League for Democracy condemned the seizure of the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok
while dissident exiles and non-government groups hailed Thailand for ending
the siege without bloodshed.

In a statement seen on Sunday the Myanmar opposition party said the attack
by armed dissidents styling themselves the ``Vigorous Burmese Student
Warriors'' was contrary to its non-violent principles.

``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.

NLD BLAMES MILITARY GOVERNMENT

But the NLD, which won Myanmar's last election in 1990 by a landslide only
for the ruling military to ignore the result, blamed the incident on
repression in Myanmar.

``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,'' it said.

``Violence breeds violence,'' the statement added.

[...]

The 89 hostages freed included 38 held in the main embassy building and 51
who could not leave the compound because of the siege. Thai media reports
said the 38 comprised 19 Myanmar nationals, five Thais, two French, two
Canadians, and one each from Australia, Algeria, China, Taiwan, India,
Singapore, Japan, Germany, America and Malaysia.

[...]

THAILAND PRAISED, URGED TO PRESSURE MYANMAR

The All Burma Students' Democratic Front, the main group of dissident
students who fled to Thailand from military oppression, praised the Thais
for the peaceful resolution of the siege and for not cracking down on exiled
Myanmar pro-democracy groups.

[...]

The group expressed ``sincere regrets and genuine apology'' to Thailand and
reaffirmed that it had not been and would never be involved in such
violence.

Nine Thai-based non-government organisations said the incident showed the
need for the world to make a genuine commitment to a peaceful solution to
Myanmar's problems.

[...]

However, they urged Thailand as chair of ASEAN to initiate a diplomatic
offensive by the regional group and its dialogue partners to push for
political reform in Myanmar. Sukhumbhand has previously rebuffed such
demands from the Myanmar opposition.

``We are concerned that unless the root causes of the problems in Burma are
resolved peacefully and politically, the danger of similar hostage crises
will still exist,'' the statement said.

In praising the central government, the statement urged Thai local
authorities not to embark on a security backlash against exile groups that
advocated non-violent pursuit of democracy.

*****************************************************

THE NATION: EMBASSY INCIDENT WON'T BE THE LAST
3 October, 1999

Editorial

DEPUTY Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra courageously volunteered as a
hostage in exchange for the freedom of the 30 people held inside the Burmese
Embassy yesterday. He then flew off in a helicopter with two of the
hostage-takers, while the rest were whisked off in a van, ensuring that
those innocently captured inside the embassy were set free unharmed. His
quick thinking and action resolved the crisis peacefully.

The embassy's takeover is a salient reminder to the international community
that there are people willing to undertake any action -- dangerous and
senseless though this one was -- to highlight their cause. A new group
calling themselves the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors demanded the
release of all political prisoners in Burma and dialogue with opposition
groups. These demands have also been made by the West ever since the
military junta cheated the people out of their democratic election in May
1990.

Their takeover of the embassy, which zeroed the world's attention in on
Burma, reminds us all yet again of the gross injustices and violations of
human rights taking place on our doorstep. For almost a decade the junta has
stood resolute in its determination to suppress the people, refusing
point-blank to open dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel laureate and
technically Burma's elected leader. The junta has also rejected every threat
by such as the United States and every bit of cajoling by mediators from the
United Nations and the European Community to open up and talk.

The United Nations will soon hold yet another session on the human rights
situation in Burma, and the embassy siege will no doubt add a poignancy to
it. So we can only hope that this year's deliberations will produce
something more concrete, as repeated condemnations have failed to improve
conditions for the Burmese people.

In more ways than one the hostage-takers' actions are understandable,
although not acceptable, as their frustration must be enormous. Thousands of
students and others have lived in exile along the Thai-Burma border for
years, many seeing their youth being wasted as they are unable to return to
their homes and resume their education.

Comparing the hostage-takers to Peru's murderous Shining Path guerrillas, as
some have done, is way off the mark. These young Burmese are the hope of
their country. They are fighting for freedom and democracy, not for the
imposition of a totalitarian regime. They want justice and liberty and they
are to be credited for not killing innocent people and allowing the hostage
incident to be resolved calmly. They succeeded in returning the Burmese
plight to the full glare of the international community without the loss of
life, albeit in an unacceptable way.
As for Sukhumbhand, he has maneuvered himself into a unique position. He now
has the opportunity to put just that bit more pressure on the junta to
initiate dialogue with Suu Kyi and other concerned parties. Having put
himself on the line in a dangerous situation, he can now serve as an honest
broker.
The junta some day must realise that as long as it fails to respect the
voice and the will of the people there will be continued struggle both
within and outside of Burma. The longer it takes, the more forceful that
struggle will become as frustrations can only deepen. The seizure of the
embassy will not be the last such incident.

As for Thailand, which hosts so many exiled Burmese in camps along the
border, it has to come to grips with the reality of the situation and can
play a more prominent role in helping to resolve it. Otherwise we can expect
such incidents to occur again within our borders.

*****************************************************

BANGKOK POST: ATTACK ON EMBASSY IS AN OUTRAGE
2 October, 1999

Editorial

By forcing their way into the Burmese embassy with war weapons including
assault rifles and hand grenades, and by taking hostages, the dissident
Burmese students have stepped well over the line.

They have used Thailand for hostile action against a foreign government and
their activities can not be condoned.

The students may well understand that support for their cause is widespread
not only in Thailand but on the international scene, but they should be
aware that the sympathy is founded on an injustice the people of Burma have
suffered for decades.

In taking matters into their own hands in violation of Thai and
international law, they are playing with fire and weakening their own cause.
Thailand can not tolerate the armed invasion of any diplomatic mission. We
have obligations to ensure not only the safety of representatives of foreign
governments but their ability to function without hindrance. Our relations
with Burma are at best problematic, and the storming of the embassy will
merely serve to make those relations more difficult.

The action at the embassy is also likely to prompt a reaction on the part of
authorities here that will work against the interests of Burmese people
taking shelter on Thai soil.

The raid will certainly draw international attention to the cause of a
people who have struggled for more than four decades to choose their own
leaders, but the fact is the generals in Rangoon have shown themselves to be
unmovable objects. The events at the mission on Sathorn road are unlikely to
bring about the departure of the State Peace and Development Council.

So far, no one has been hurt. Shots have been fired and the action has
caused alarm. Thai authorities have been correct to state that force will
not be used to end the stand-off at the embassy.

But it is important now that the students recognize that they are causing
greater problems to the authorities here than they are to their adversaries
in Rangoon.

It is not too late to call the whole thing off, to understand that they
have, by their actions, drawn the attention of the world to the plight of
the Burmese people.

Desperation and weapons make for a bad mixture and the longer the stand-off
continues, the greater the temptation to bow to emotion and make a terrible
mistake. This must not be allowed to happen.

The cause of the Burmese democracy movement has won widespread support
because of the sacrifices that have been made by ordinary people and the
blood that they have shed. It is only natural that a sense of outrage
remains among people who were given the opportunity to chart their own
future only to have their hopes crushed by a regime that was merely toying
with their democratic aspirations.

It is also natural that the Burmese people feel let down badly by regional
neighbours who chose to embrace their oppressive rulers as members of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

This newspaper stood firmly against the admission of the regime that
purports to represent the people of Burma and has since demanded that the
regional grouping act on its obligations to make Rangoon worthy of its
membership.

The consequences of the injustices that continue to be inflicted upon the
people of Burma are today being felt in the heart of Bangkok. A problem
caused by an oppressive regime is being visited upon a people largely
supportive of the people of Burma.

*****************************************************

BANGKOK POST: JUNTA WARNS DISSIDENTS, DON'T TRY TO CUT CORNERS
2 October, 1999

'Western' democracy will not be tolerated

The military junta will hold democratic elections as promised, but will not
tolerate a western-style political system, a senior Burmese minister said
yesterday.

Declining to comment on the storming of the Burmese embassy, David Abel said
dissidents considered democracy a "commodity" and wanted to short-circuit
the reform process.

"Political reforms will come, definitely they will come because we have
promised the people.

"We have promised them a market economy, we have promised them a democratic
system, we'll deliver, but we want to deliver in good shape, good form.

"If we just say this is democracy, you take it, the fellows don't know what
it is and they'll misuse it," said Brig-Gen Abel, a member of the State
Peace and Development Council, who is attending the Asean meeting in
Singapore.

Democratic elections would be part of reforms to be introduced after the
fourth and final consultations with the people on drawing up a national
constitution.

"If they [dissidents] want to short cut, if they want an engine that they
like, they say they want an American engine. "We say: No, we use our own
engine to pull our [train].

"But we are going to the same destination. How can they impose such a thing
on us?" The opposition National League for Democracy, led by Nobel peace
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, had to pay the price for walking out of the
national convention that was aimed at devising the country's constitution,
he said.

"When they broke away, the NLD had the largest representation in the
national convention. They walked out but the rest of the bodies in the
convention remained.

"This makes a big difference. They thought when they walked out, the rest
will follow. Now they say they want a national dialogue," he said.

*****************************************************

BANGKOK POST: BURMA JUNTA SHUTS BORDER IN RESPONSE
3 October, 1999

Thai forces put on precautionary alert

Burma yesterday closed its entire border with Thailand and stepped up
security along the frontier in the aftermath of the seizure of its embassy
in Bangkok by Burmese dissident students.

Lt-Col Tin Ngwe, chairman of Burma's Local Thai-Burmese border committee,
told his Thai counterpart in Mae Sot district, Tak province, yesterday that
the closure of the border between Mae Sot and the Burmese township of
Myawaddy was ordered by the military in Rangoon for safety reasons.

At 6.30am, Burmese authorities placed barricades across the Friendship
Bridge, the main border passage between the two border towns.

More troops, police and militias were also put on border patrols.

Security on the Thai side was also stepped up as of Friday night as troops
and police were put on alert, said Col Chayuti Boonparn, the commander of
the 4th infantry regiment task force based in Mae Sot.

Police in the Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province reported Burmese troop
reinforcements and increased patrols along the Kok river by Burmese troops.
Pol Col Panurat Meepien, superintendent of Mae Sai police, said the border
between Burma's border town of Thachilek and Mae Sai was shut down as of
yesterday morning without prior notification.

Chiang Rai Governor Samroeng Poonnayopakorn said he expected the closure
would be temporary and the border would be reopened soon.

A military intelligence report said Rangoon had decided to postpone the
withdrawal of three battalions of troops from the border opposite Chiang Dao
and Fang districts of Chiang Mai for security reasons.

In southern Ranong, opposite Burma's Kawthaung, three Burmese patrol boats
were seen deployed in Burmese waters. A ban on cross-border travel was also
being imposed.

In northern Mae Hong Son province, troops and border patrol police were on a
24-hour precautionary alert.

*****************************************************

THE NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR: ARMED TERRORISTS HOLD MYANMAR EMBASSY STAFF IN
THAILAND HOSTAGE THAI POLICE, ANTI-TERRORIST SQUAD TAKE CONTROL OF SITUATION
2 October, 1999

YANGON, 1 Oct-A group of armed men posing as visitors to collect visas
overpowered the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok and held hostage the embassy
staff at 11 am local time today. Thai police and anti-terrorist squad
officials were reported to be taking the situation under control.
*****************************************************