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The Nation (3-10-99) No. 5 (r)

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<font size=5><b>Rule book thrown out as luck delivers 'happy 
ending'<br>
</font></b><font size=3>ALTHOUGH Thailand managed to secure the safe
release of all 89 hostages at the Burmese Embassy, its 25-hour operation
has come under self-scrutiny and criticism, especially its soft-handed
policy and apparent unpreparedness to deal with a terrorism act. <br>
The police, which was instructed by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai to take
charge in the crisis resolution, cordoned off the Burmese Embassy's
immediate adjacent area but did not totally shut off the traffic which
flowed on the other side of the street. <br>
It also failed to prevent curious crowds of onlookers and a large army of
Thai and foreign media crew members who managed to mingle easily at times
with the crisis officers and government officials. <br>
Throngs of vehicles -- live-television vans, private cars, ambulances,
police trucks, rescue pick-ups, a mobile toilet van and authority
vehicles -- were parked close to the embassy and even obstructed some
emergency traffic in the operation. <br>
The complaint heard most, however, was about who was actually calling the
shots in the operation as top police and administrative officials and
government ministers were seen visiting or being stationed at the scene
to direct measures to end the crisis. <br>
The ''Bangkok Solution'' was a term referring to the Thai-style handling
of a terrorist incident, though the term often has a negative connotation
for spawning more terrorism. <br>
Within 25 hours, the siege of the Burmese Embassy had ended peacefully
and dramatically but the unexpected outcome seemed to rely on luck rather
than a carefully executed plan. <br>
Thailand has, in fact, a world-class anti-terrorist blueprint although
the country has time and again reacted to the actual incident with the
personal whims of the powers-that-be instead of following the accepted
rules and procedures in dealing with terrorists. <br>
In view of the international standards for resolving the terrorist
incident, everything went wrong at the police-led command centre.
Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart should be thankful for a miracle
for saving his day. <br>
Concerned about the threat of international terrorism, the Prem
Tinsulanonda administration and successive governments have drafted and
updated the national contingency plan on counter-terrorism measures.
<br>
The country has mechanisms which meet the toughest scrutiny of
anti-terrorist standards. At the heart of the contingency measures is the
well-conceived plan to run a command post when the terrorist incident
happens. <br>
The National Security Council (NSC) has established a permanent
secretariat to deal with international terrorism. The prime minister, in
his capacity as the NSC chairman, is empowered to appoint the head of the
command post, who is mandated to mobilise all government resources to
resolve the incident. <br>
According to anti-terrorist standards, the command post should be run by
a top, well-trained bureaucrat. The rationale for this rule is to give
the government a breather to negotiate and draw out the terrorists. If a
top politician has taken the matter in his hand, then there is no room
for manoeuvre as terrorists could force the minister to make a swift
political decision. <br>
After a group of angry Burmese students took hostages in the embassy, the
national contingency plan for anti-terrorism crumbled like a house of
cards. <br>
The prime minister dispatched Sanan to ''see'' what was going on at the
siege. Sanan and police set up a haphazard command post but no one was
sure who was in charge. <br>
Intelligence gathering and security rules were ignored as terrorists were
allowed to speak ''freely'' with the press. And the local press and
onlookers could ''roam'' all over the command post. <br>
At the end, terrorists once again were allowed to be escorted to the safe
haven of their choice. Despite the warnings of the international
community, particularly from the United States, Britain and Israel,
successive Thai governments have opted for a hasty move to get terrorists
out of the territory instead of punishing them for their crime. <br>
As Thai leaders are congratulating themselves on the peaceful ending of
the embassy siege, potential terrorists might view the country as a soft
target to stage their criminal activities. <br>
The Nation</font>
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