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1.BURMESE EMBASSY SEIGE



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THE NATION - October 2, 1999

Headlines

'Warriors' show mixed characters

THEY hurt at least one hostage and shot at a fleeing man but were =
reportedly
kind to most of the rest. They responded to initial attempts at =
negotiations
with gunfire and as tension mounted they allegedly threatened to start
shooting the captives, though police denied this.

Yet their demands are the same ones repeatedly made by the world =
community
and rejected to its dismay by the Burmese junta.

Who are these 12 ''warriors'', as the young terrorists call themselves?
Burmese student groups active in Thailand have distanced themselves from =
the
group. Thai police and intelligence officials, it appears, are still
struggling to find their identities.

''They shot at me when I was running away,'' said Polphan Laksanasut, =
28,
who was inside the visa section of the embassy when the terrorists =
stormed
in.

''I was waiting for a visa for my boss when I heard a commotion. Then I =
saw
Thais and foreigners, about 20 of them, herded into the visa waiting =
room,
followed by a group of armed people. The men in control spoke in =
Burmese,
and one man, a Thai official apparently, told us that the gunmen wanted =
us
to lie down and follow their orders,'' Polphan said.

He decided to run past the group out of the door towards the Pan Road =
gate.
Polphan said the Burmese rebels had shot at him twice but missed.

One Thai hostage, an embassy worker who identified herself as Pattaya, =
told
reporters on the phone that the captors were not aggressive.

''There has been no violence so far,'' the woman said. ''The Burmese
students told everyone not to panic, vowing not to hurt Thai people. =
They
said they just wanted the Thai government's help to convey their =
messages.
They made no threat to us and allowed us to talk to relatives who called =
the
embassy.''

She added that gunshots heard had actually been fired to break through
locked doors.

Pol Pte Thanomsak Amorndet, who manned the embassy's Pan Road gate, was =
hit
with a gun by a terrorist but later set free.

''There were too many of them, and they were all armed. There was =
nothing I
could do,'' he said.

To Thai authorities the blitz, carried out in a swift and brazen manner, =
was
a big slap in the face. While nobody knows how the real-life drama will =
end,
one thing is certain: the warriors' seizure of the Burmese embassy will =
give
their exiled pro-democracy compatriots a much harder time in Thailand.

The Thai government has every reason to be enraged. This is how its =
leniency
with the Burmese in exile pays off. Having used Thailand as a haven, now
extremist students show their gratitude by riding roughshod over Thai =
law
and sovereignty.

But the government clearly does not want a bloodbath. Diplomatic efforts
were in full swing last night, and TV stations were even asked not to
broadcast movements outside the embassy.

Throughout the day traffic on South Sathorn Road barely crawled as =
police
blocked off North Sathorn Road. Local residents and workers from nearby
office buildings went up on rooftops to observe the stand-off between
hundreds of Thai police and the armed men.

By early afternoon the nearby Bayer building was turned into a temporary
command post for the Thai police as workers there were given the =
afternoon
off.

Curious onlookers on motorbikes on the opposite side of the road had to =
be
moved on by traffic police as they were holding up the already congested
traffic on South Sathorn.

Swat teams arrived on the scene at about 1 pm, and police snipers were =
seen
rushing to rooftops on nearby buildings after that.

Hope for a breakthrough in the negotiations surfaced when a Burmese =
refugee
leader, Soe Aung, arrived on the scene to negotiate on behalf of the
authorities, but his pleas were met with the sound of gunshots that
effectively silenced him despite the loudspeaker through which he was
speaking.

Food vendors who positioned themselves not too far from the scene were =
doing
good business as hungry reporters, some of whom were still soaked from =
the
afternoon rain, stocked up for what looked like being a long evening.

In an attempt to find a peaceful end to the crisis, Chalida Tacharoensuk =
of
Forum Asia had earlier in the day talked by phone with one of the
terrorists, named Johnny.

Chalida was apparently trying to act as a mediator to bring a =
representative
of the armed group to talk to Thai authorities, but as of late last =
night
nobody knew for sure who the terrorists were. A well-informed source =
said
there was a good possibility that San Naing, codenamed Ye Thi Ha, was =
among
the terrorists. San Naing is one of the two Burmese who hijacked a =
Burmese
domestic flight to Thailand in October 1989.

Whoever they are, the terrorists formed a dramatic plot to go after =
Burmese
Ambassador Hla Maung when they stormed in. They reportedly just missed =
him
as he had left the embassy only moments before.

BY DON PATHAN

*************************************************************************=
***


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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>THE NATION - October 2,=20
1999<BR><BR>Headlines<BR><BR>'Warriors' show mixed =
characters<BR><BR>THEY hurt=20
at least one hostage and shot at a fleeing man but were =
reportedly<BR>kind to=20
most of the rest. They responded to initial attempts at =
negotiations<BR>with=20
gunfire and as tension mounted they allegedly threatened to =
start<BR>shooting=20
the captives, though police denied this.<BR><BR>Yet their demands are =
the same=20
ones repeatedly made by the world community<BR>and rejected to its =
dismay by the=20
Burmese junta.<BR><BR>Who are these 12 ''warriors'', as the young =
terrorists=20
call themselves?<BR>Burmese student groups active in Thailand have =
distanced=20
themselves from the<BR>group. Thai police and intelligence officials, it =

appears, are still<BR>struggling to find their identities.<BR><BR>''They =
shot at=20
me when I was running away,'' said Polphan Laksanasut, 28,<BR>who was =
inside the=20
visa section of the embassy when the terrorists =
stormed<BR>in.<BR><BR>''I was=20
waiting for a visa for my boss when I heard a commotion. Then I =
saw<BR>Thais and=20
foreigners, about 20 of them, herded into the visa waiting =
room,<BR>followed by=20
a group of armed people. The men in control spoke in Burmese,<BR>and one =
man, a=20
Thai official apparently, told us that the gunmen wanted us<BR>to lie =
down and=20
follow their orders,'' Polphan said.<BR><BR>He decided to run past the =
group out=20
of the door towards the Pan Road gate.<BR>Polphan said the Burmese =
rebels had=20
shot at him twice but missed.<BR><BR>One Thai hostage, an embassy worker =
who=20
identified herself as Pattaya, told<BR>reporters on the phone that the =
captors=20
were not aggressive.<BR><BR>''There has been no violence so far,'' the =
woman=20
said. ''The Burmese<BR>students told everyone not to panic, vowing not =
to hurt=20
Thai people. They<BR>said they just wanted the Thai government's help to =
convey=20
their messages.<BR>They made no threat to us and allowed us to talk to =
relatives=20
who called the<BR>embassy.''<BR><BR>She added that gunshots heard had =
actually=20
been fired to break through<BR>locked doors.<BR><BR>Pol Pte Thanomsak =
Amorndet,=20
who manned the embassy's Pan Road gate, was hit<BR>with a gun by a =
terrorist but=20
later set free.<BR><BR>''There were too many of them, and they were all =
armed.=20
There was nothing I<BR>could do,'' he said.<BR><BR>To Thai authorities =
the=20
blitz, carried out in a swift and brazen manner, was<BR>a big slap in =
the face.=20
While nobody knows how the real-life drama will end,<BR>one thing is =
certain:=20
the warriors' seizure of the Burmese embassy will give<BR>their exiled=20
pro-democracy compatriots a much harder time in Thailand.<BR><BR>The =
Thai=20
government has every reason to be enraged. This is how its =
leniency<BR>with the=20
Burmese in exile pays off. Having used Thailand as a haven, =
now<BR>extremist=20
students show their gratitude by riding roughshod over Thai law<BR>and=20
sovereignty.<BR><BR>But the government clearly does not want a =
bloodbath.=20
Diplomatic efforts<BR>were in full swing last night, and TV stations =
were even=20
asked not to<BR>broadcast movements outside the =
embassy.<BR><BR>Throughout the=20
day traffic on South Sathorn Road barely crawled as police<BR>blocked =
off North=20
Sathorn Road. Local residents and workers from nearby<BR>office =
buildings went=20
up on rooftops to observe the stand-off between<BR>hundreds of Thai =
police and=20
the armed men.<BR><BR>By early afternoon the nearby Bayer building was =
turned=20
into a temporary<BR>command post for the Thai police as workers there =
were given=20
the afternoon<BR>off.<BR><BR>Curious onlookers on motorbikes on the =
opposite=20
side of the road had to be<BR>moved on by traffic police as they were =
holding up=20
the already congested<BR>traffic on South Sathorn.<BR><BR>Swat teams =
arrived on=20
the scene at about 1 pm, and police snipers were seen<BR>rushing to =
rooftops on=20
nearby buildings after that.<BR><BR>Hope for a breakthrough in the =
negotiations=20
surfaced when a Burmese refugee<BR>leader, Soe Aung, arrived on the =
scene to=20
negotiate on behalf of the<BR>authorities, but his pleas were met with =
the sound=20
of gunshots that<BR>effectively silenced him despite the loudspeaker =
through=20
which he was<BR>speaking.<BR><BR>Food vendors who positioned themselves =
not too=20
far from the scene were doing<BR>good business as hungry reporters, some =
of whom=20
were still soaked from the<BR>afternoon rain, stocked up for what looked =
like=20
being a long evening.<BR><BR>In an attempt to find a peaceful end to the =
crisis,=20
Chalida Tacharoensuk of<BR>Forum Asia had earlier in the day talked by =
phone=20
with one of the<BR>terrorists, named Johnny.<BR><BR>Chalida was =
apparently=20
trying to act as a mediator to bring a representative<BR>of the armed =
group to=20
talk to Thai authorities, but as of late last night<BR>nobody knew for =
sure who=20
the terrorists were. A well-informed source said<BR>there was a good =
possibility=20
that San Naing, codenamed Ye Thi Ha, was among<BR>the terrorists. San =
Naing is=20
one of the two Burmese who hijacked a Burmese<BR>domestic flight to =
Thailand in=20
October 1989.<BR><BR>Whoever they are, the terrorists formed a dramatic =
plot to=20
go after Burmese<BR>Ambassador Hla Maung when they stormed in. They =
reportedly=20
just missed him<BR>as he had left the embassy only moments =
before.<BR><BR>BY DON=20
PATHAN<BR><BR>***********************************************************=
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