NEWS - Myanmar's NLD condemns embas

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Subject: NEWS - Myanmar's NLD condemns embassy attack

Myanmar's NLD condemns embassy attack

By Anchalee Koetsawang

  
BANGKOK, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's
National League for Democracy condemned the seizure of the Myanmar
embassy in Bangkok while dissident exiles and non-government groups
hailed Thailand for ending the siege without bloodshed. 

In a statement seen on Sunday the Myanmar opposition party said the
attack by armed dissidents styling themselves the ``Vigorous Burmese
Student Warriors'' was contrary to its non-violent principles. 

``While we understand the aspirations and frustrations of students and
other democracy activists who have been forced to leave Burma by the
repressive measures of the military regime, we categorically condemn the
seizure of the embassy and the taking of hostages,'' the statement said. 

NLD BLAMES MILITARY GOVERNMENT 

But the NLD, which won Myanmar's last election in 1990 by a landslide
only for the ruling military to ignore the result, blamed the incident
on repression in Myanmar. 

``We would like to draw the attention of the world to the fact that this
act of violence at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok is an effect of the
many acts of injustice and cruelty repeatedly perpetrated by the
military regime in Myanmar,'' it said. 

``Violence breeds violence,'' the statement added. 

Five dissidents toting assault rifles and grenades stormed Myanmar's
embassy on Friday and took 89 people hostage. They demanded the release
of all Myanmar political prisoners, dialogue between the military
government and the opposition, and convening of a democratic parliament. 

The siege ended after 25 hours of negotiations after which Thailand
provided a helicopter to take the attackers to a safe area on the
Thai-Myanmar border. 

The 89 hostages freed included 38 held in the main embassy building and
51 who could not leave the compound because of the siege. Thai media
reports said the 38 comprised 19 Myanmar nationals, five Thais, two
French, two Canadians, and one each from Australia, Algeria, China,
Taiwan, India, Singapore, Japan, Germany, America and Malaysia. 

Thai Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said Thailand gave the
attackers safe passage as it did not consider them ``terrorists'' but
people seeking democracy in their own country. 

This statement from a fellow member of the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) is bound to incense Myanmar's generals who called
the attackers terrorists. 

THAILAND PRAISED, URGED TO PRESSURE MYANMAR 

The All Burma Students' Democratic Front, the main group of dissident
students who fled to Thailand from military oppression, praised the
Thais for the peaceful resolution of the siege and for not cracking down
on exiled Myanmar pro-democracy groups. 

``The ABSDF hopes that punitive measures will not be taken against the
peaceful democratic and ethnic groups as a consequence of this recent
crisis,'' it added. 

The group expressed ``sincere regrets and genuine apology'' to Thailand
and reaffirmed that it had not been and would never be involved in such
violence. 

Nine Thai-based non-government organisations said the incident showed
the need for the world to make a genuine commitment to a peaceful
solution to Myanmar's problems. 

In a statement they praised Thailand, and especially Deputy Foreign
Minister Sukhumbhand Paribatra for temporarily exchanging himself for
the freed hostages. 

However, they urged Thailand as chair of ASEAN to initiate a diplomatic
offensive by the regional group and its dialogue partners to push for
political reform in Myanmar. Sukhumbhand has previously rebuffed such
demands from the Myanmar opposition. 

``We are concerned that unless the root causes of the problems in Burma
are resolved peacefully and politically, the danger of similar hostage
crises will still exist,'' the statement said. 

In praising the central government, the statement urged Thai local
authorities not to embark on a security backlash against exile groups
that advocated non-violent pursuit of democracy. 

04:37 10-03-99