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BKK Post (3-10-99) No. 7
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=6><b>Radio station helps defuse
tension<br>
</font></b><font size=5><i>Enables deputy PM to hold negotiations<br>
</font></i><font size=3><b>Sermsuk Kasitipradit<br>
</font><font size=5>T</font></b><font size=3>he Ruam Duay Chuay Kan radio
programme played a crucial role in defusing a tense and dangerous moment
yesterday by enabling the deputy prime minister to negotiate with the
armed students.<br>
A hostage called the station on his mobile phone after the dissidents
became upset when they could not see the helicopters that were to fly
them to freedom.<br>
"Thank you for your co-operation. It helped resolve the
crisis," Maj-Gen Sanan Kachornprasart, the interior minister, told
the programme's talkshow host Anchaliporn Gusoum about 1.12pm.<br>
He had just been informed the last of the hostages had been freed
unharmed.<br>
Burmese students boarded a police helicopter, on standby at the Armed
Forces Academies Preparatory School, and were taken to the border area in
Ratchaburi.<br>
Maj-Gen Sanan had used the radio programme, sponsored by Ruam Duay Chuan
Kan foundation, to communicate indirectly with Burmese dissidents through
Prasert Lueng-aramvej, a businessman taken hostage while in the embassy's
visa section.<br>
Mr Prasert made personal plea over his mobile phone a number of times to
government leaders not to use force in resolving the crisis, to avoid
bloodshed.<br>
The most crucial moment was at 12.15pm when the Burmese students had
decided to move from the embassy compound to the nearby Bangkok Christian
College, where they were told that two police helicopters would be on
standby to take them to the border.<br>
Two police helicopters hovered over the college football field but did
not land. It upset the students, who fired two shots into the air in
frustration.<br>
Calling the interior minister "daddy", since he is a friend of
Maj-Gen Sanan's adopted son Pol Maj Pimsen, Mr Prasert, in a voice tinged
with panic, said the situation could turn nasty at any time if
mishandled.<br>
"The situation has dramatically changed. They are very angry now.
They have already fired two shots to show their frustration," Mr
Prasert told the radio programme at 12.20pm, after they arrived at the
college football field and did not find the helicopters on standby as
pledged.<br>
"Where are the helicopters?" Mr Prasert said, adding that he
did not understand why they did not land at the football field.<br>
"Anyone standing here could see that the helicopters could land
here. Send them down here," Mr Prasert said in a trembling
voice.<br>
He told Ms Anchaliporn that a number of dissidents had their pistols at
some of the hostages' heads, while grenade pins were in their mouths
ready to be pulled if anything went wrong.<br>
"Please don't do anything that would make the situation worse,"
Mr Prasert pleaded.<br>
Maj-Gen Sanan unexpectedly contacted the radio programme at the crucial
moment, around 12.25pm, and told Mr Prasert to calm down the dissidents.
He said the government was sincere in wanting to peacefully resolve the
problem and would do anything to avoid bloodshed and casualties.<br>
"The helicopters are now on standby at the Armed Forces Academies
Preparatory School. You have to tell them to board the helicopter there.
No harm will come to them, I guarantee it," the interior minister
said. He repeated that the football field was not spacious enough for the
landing.<br>
Discussion between the interior minister and Mr Prasert during the
critical moment was broadcast live by the station on FM 96MHz, which had
closely monitored developments since the crisis started on Friday
afternoon.<br>
Maj-Gen Sanan later said that he was fully aware of the dissidents'
frustration and did his utmost to pacify them and lessen tensions.<br>
"Under such circumstance anything could happen, so I tried my best
to give them the government's assurance that our promise would be kept
and we would do them no harm," Maj-Gen Sanan said.<br>
He urged the dissidents through Mr Prasert to trade the hostages for M.R
Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the deputy foreign minister, who volunteered to
accompany them aboard the helicopter to the border if the hostages were
released.<br>
"You have to tell them that we are sincere about resolving the
problem peacefully. If not, why would I let the deputy foreign minister
accompany them," said Maj-Gen Sanan.<br>
Pusana Primanoj, the foundation chairman, said he was happy to see the
crisis resolved peacefully through use of the foundation's
programme.<br>
Mr Pusana said he was quite optimistic that the situation would not turn
violent after the radio programme managed to establish contact with
people inside the embassy, including Johnny, the student leader, in the
early morning.<br>
"That was a positive development," Mr Pusana said.<br>
The most crucial moment was when the dissidents found there no
helicopters at Bangkok Christian College and thought that they were being
deceived by the government. "That was the most critical situation,
when they didn't see helicopters at the football field and aimed their
guns at hostages' heads. Some of the dissidents had grenade pins in their
mouths," Mr Pusana said. <br>
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