Freedom Fighters "not terrorists"

[dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Thursday
night, DeputyForeign
Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra tried to clarify Deputy Prime Minister
Sanan Kachornprasart's statement that he considered the assailants
''students activists who fight for democracy'' in Burma and not
''terrorists''. 
Sukhumbhand said what Sanan meant was that the group members were not
''professional
international terrorists'' but that ''their act was one of terrorism''. 
The clarification was seen as an attempt by the Thai government to
appease the Burmese junta...."


Thai govt officials will just get themselves deeper into a dark hole in
their
game of "appeasement" with the devil. Once again, the freedom fighters
are vindicated.

ds

$$$$$$$$$$

> 
> Nabbed suspect may hold key to hostage-takers
> THAI authorities are hopeful that an arrested key Burmese suspect
> would provide major clues leading to the capture of the five
> heavily-armed Burmese -- and possibly other collaborators -- in the
> daring siege last week of the Burmese embassy and 89 hostages.
> Aung Soe, who was arrested shortly after the armed raid on Oct 1, was
> found carrying a dark-coloured sports bag carrying the attackers'
> demand leaflets, a number of the ''9999'' red headband, a flag, some
> music note sheets and ''a diary book'' which contained a laid-out plan
> of the armed operation, said informed sources.
> One of the sources said Aung Soe, who is a former resident of the
> Maneeloy holding centre for Burmese asylum-seekers in Ratchaburi
> province, is still being detained for further questioning and for more
> information that authorities hoped could lead to the identification of
> the assailant group.
> The sources said the authorities now believe that there were at least
> ''five more Burmese collaborators'', including Aung Soe, who were the
> supporting back-up team to the actual raiders that held the hostages
> for 25 hours before releasing them in return for their safe escape to
> the western border.
> Through the uncut embassy telephone connection, the assailants, armed
> with AK-47 and M-16 assault rifles and hand grenades, had been in
> touch with their collaborators outside the compound for information on
> Thai counter-siege operations, said the sources.
> At one point during the takeover on Oct 1, the leader of the militant
> group, Kyaw Ni or Johnny, demanded that Aung Soe be brought to the
> embassy, but it turned out that another Aung Soe from Maneeloy centre
> was taken to the scene. Kyaw Ni, about 30, fired a volley of shots
> from his machine gun.
> According to one source, Kyaw Ni had been demanding Aung Soe's sports
> bag, which the authorities eventually returned to him early the
> following day after copying the contents of the diary.
> As of yesterday, the authorities were still trying to establish the
> identities of the attackers, who called themselves ''Vigorous Burmese
> Student Warriors''. Government agencies have come up with different
> lists of the five gunmen and were still cross-checking them with
> information provided by the Burmese and foreign hostages.
> It is not yet known how much information the arrested Aung Soe had
> provided to the police.
> So far the authorities were certain that two of the attackers were
> Kyaw Ni and Myint Thein or Beda (water hyacinth), who used to earn his
> living by singing at some Bangkok cafes. The police yesterday placed
> eight criminal charges against the armed group.
> Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Thursday
> night, Deputy Foreign Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra tried to clarify
> Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart's statement that he
> considered the assailants ''students activists who fight for
> democracy'' in Burma and not ''terrorists''.
> Sukhumbhand said what Sanan meant was that the group members were not
> ''professional international terrorists'' but that ''their act was one
> of terrorism''.
> The clarification was seen as an attempt by the Thai government to
> appease the Burmese junta who, while officially thanking Thailand for
> its success in resolving the hostage crisis, had allowed its senior
> officers and government-controlled media to criticise the Thai rescue
> operation and accused the Thai military intelligence of being involved
> in the embassy seizure.
> Sukhumbhand said although there was a void in the Thai legal system as
> far as international terrorism is concerned, Thailand would proceed to
> prosecute the armed group which ''had committed a crime against the
> Thai law''.
> BY YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK
> The Nation