Remember Peru!!! Burmese Rebles ho (r)

[RangoonPost@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Re: Remember Peru!!!  Burmese Rebles hold Thai Embassy, demand releases all p...

Oh I really remember Peru !   I am really angry at Fujimori.  This coward 
would rather kill people instead of talk.  At the begginning the news 
reported that the leader wanted to talk over the matter.  BUT the press more 
and more changed the story and simply represented them as terrorists.  
   We must continue to keep the press and news on our side for this and 
harass the Thais not to shot or kill anyone without a reason.  Talk, don't 
shoot!


In a message dated 10/1/99 11:18:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

<< This doesnt look good for the brave and desperate. Remember the Peru
 Embassy takeover and Peruvian president Fujimori's "rescue" operation
 that ended with the killing of 16 people in 1997 after taking hold of
 the Japanese ambassador house in Lima after a reception there and
 holding hundreds of hostages in the residence. 
 
 Peaceful solutions could have been achieved if only the leaders on both
 sides took some extra effort to exhaust all possibilities of reaching a
 compromise.  But Fujimori, assessing his political popularity declined
 with each day pushing the crisis to a stalemante, closed all peaceful
 means of solving the crisis, and opted for an all-out military assault
 against the Tupac Amaru hostage holding group. 
 
 That incident bacame a dangerous international precedent, especially in
 view of the popularity of it; remember that Fujimori gave the go signal
 for the assualt team while they were still negotiating with the rebels,
 who were then playing football inside the Japanese embassy. 
 
 Fujimori had a directive "take no prisoners", and some witness
 statements after said the Tupac Amaur rebels were murdered by the eilite
 soldiers while surrendering, clear violations of Protocal I, ARt. 41
 giving protection to combatants "who clearly expresses an intention to
 surrender". and other related humanitarian laws. 
 
 These burmese rebels are entitled to all basic humanitarian protection,
 and not to fall victim to a breach of international law of which States
 are signatory. 
 
 It was a domestic hostage taking incident. This time the Burmese rebels
 have taken their own embassy on Thai soil, which alters the equation
 slightly. Fujimori wanted to crush the opposition and show himself a
 dominant authoritarian leader of national unity to defeat the MRTA and
 maintain political leadership and stability. So he destroyed them, and
 won increasing popularity, while the opposition leaders and their
 friends were killed or remain buried alive in undergound prison cells. 
 
 If the EAst Timor crisis is at all indicative of the current political
 climate in Asia, we must be all the more weary and urge measures to
 avoid that this crisis be resolved in a military way.
 
  
 > 
 > Friday, October 1, 1999 Published at 10:50 GMT 11:50 UK
 > World: Asia-Pacific
 > 
 >  gunmen demand releases all political prisoners
 > 
 > The Burmese opposition flag is hoisted onto the embassy's mast
 > 
 > Gunmen holding a number of diplomats, staff and more than a dozen
 > foreigners
 > hostage at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok have issued a list of demands
 > calling on the Burmese Government to free all political prisoners.
 > 
 > In a facsimile statement to a TV station in the Thai capital, the group
 > calling itself the Vigorous Burmese Students Warriors said the military
 > government in Rangoon would be responsible for the consequences if it
 > did
 > not accede to their demands.
 > 
 > The statement also demanded that the government enter into talks with
 > the
 > Burmese opposition and convene a democratic parliament.
 > 
 > There are reports of a further demand for a helicopter capable of flying
 > 20
 > people to the Thai-Burma border.
 > 
 > A local media organisation, AsiaWorks, contacted one of the hostages by
 > phone who said three Canadians, three Frenchmen, one American, one
 > German
 > several Malaysians, Singaporeans and Thais were among those being held.
 > 
 > A short time later, two hostages, both Thai nationals were released,
 > joining
 > a security guard who was allowed to go free earlier.
 > 
 > Gunfire heard >>