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NEWS - Thai minister says 89 hostag



Subject: NEWS - Thai minister says 89 hostages held by 5 attackers

Thai minister says 89 hostages held by 5 attackers

  
BANGKOK, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Thai Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart
said on Saturday a total of 89 people were taken hostage by just five
attackers who seized the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok on Friday morning. 

Sanan told a news conference that earlier reports of many more attackers
had been wrong: ``We have checked carefully and now know there were only
five dissidents involved.'' He said the Thai government had given the
attackers safe passage out of Bangkok because it did not consider them
``terrorists'' but people seeking democracy in their own country. 

04:37 10-02-99  
51 Myanmar nationals and another 38 people of other nationalities, all
of whom were released unharmed by the assailants. Earlier reports by
police and other officials had put the number of hostages at up to
40-45. 

``During this 25 hours we are pleased that no one was harmed and now
everyone is free,'' Sanan said. 

Sanan said the Thai authorities were pursuing a criminal case against
the attackers, who flew out of Bangkok earlier on two helicopters
provided by the Thai authorities. 

He said Thailand would have to adopt a stricter attitude towards Myanmar
students in exile in future but gave no details: ``We will proceed with
our criminal investigations,'' he said. 

04:46 10-02-99