[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Most city residents back handling o



Subject: Most city residents back handling of siege

<html>
<font size=7 color="#FF0000"><b>Most city residents back handling of
siege<br>
</font><font size=5 color="#000000">T</font></b><font size=3>he majority
of the Bangkok public polled in a survey yesterday approved the
government's handling of the Burmese embassy siege and praised Deputy
Foreign Minister M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra for his personal sacrifice in
being exchanged for hostages, a survey found.<br>
The Rajabhat Institute Suan Dusit Poll revealed that 42.10% of 1,370
people surveyed over the weekend praised the government for its handling
of the crisis, in which five armed dissident Burmese students stormed the
Burmese embassy on Friday and held 38 people hostage.<br>
Asked what they thought were the pros and cons of the incident, 27.34%
also said that they learned about the sacrifice of M.R. Sukhumbhand.
However, 10.10% said that the embassy siege drowned out other news and
took attention away from other problems.<br>
M.R. Sukhumbhand also topped the approval rating, at 21.44%, for the
party that did the best job to resolve the problem without bloodshed,
followed by 16.51% for &quot;all those concerned&quot;, 15.05% for the
police and military, 13.17% for the hostages, and 6.94% for the Interior
Ministry.<br>
The government allowed the Burmese dissidents to go free with M.R.
Sukhumbhand and Chaiyapruek Sawaengcharoen, former chief of the Maneeloy
holding camp, taking the place of the hostages. <br>
The two men accompanied the dissidents who were armed with assault
rifles, pistols and hand grenades on a helicopter which flew them to the
Ratchaburi border where they crossed over into Burma.<br>
The survey found that 41.43% of the respondents did not agree with the
students using force to further their cause, 22.68% thought that it was
an act worthy of condemnation. However, 31.91% sympathised with the
students.<br>
And 34.13% felt that to prevent a recurrence of such an incident a better
check of refugees and immigrants was needed, 28.16% favoured better
security for embassies, 22.30% thought stricter control of war weapons
would prevent a recurrence and 40.26% felt the main cause was a lapse in
security.<br>
<br>
<br>
Bkk-post oct, 4 -199<br>
</font>
<BR>
</html>