WHAT THE MEDIA DID NOT REPORT ABOUT

[moe@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: WHAT THE MEDIA DID NOT REPORT ABOUT THE HOSTAGE CRISIS

What the media did not report

By Julien Moe
7th Oct.,'99

The media did report that there were 12 hostage takers. What the media and
the authorities in Thailand did not understand was "the strategy of the
dissident students". If they originally said there were only 5 hostage
takers, it was a possibility that the authorities took it an easy crack-down
on the hostage takers. Numbers count! Thailand is a developing nation that
has  a much more advantaged technology than Burma poorly equipped by China.
Closing down the borders means "acknowledge about lack of facilities and
capability to detect the elements". It is  obvious that the Thai government
and the Burmese regime are  incredibly unprepared about the political
violence that occured last week. The Burmese governmnet has been able to use
its agents and informers worldwide. Nevertheless, the very incident and the
aftermath have disappointed the Burmese intelligence community and their
frustration is unequivocal. 

The Burmese government has not been  able to find out who was responsible
about the parcel bomb sent to General Tin Oo's house. If it was an insider
job, the persons involved could have been punished by Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt.
One other reason why the Burmese government was not keen enough about
pursuing the responsible for the parcel bomb sent to Gen. Tin Oo's house was
the government is convinced that the international community will not help
them on the political grounds. 

As far as the persons involved in the hostage crisis are concerned, it is
possible that they have tricked the Thai authorities who were convinced the
former would go into the jungle after being given a lift in the Thai police
helicopter. The former might have flown out of an international airport in
Thailand. They might be in the third country from where they headed. Who can
tell for sure these students are  among those who have been in Thailand ?
What I can tell for sure is one of the hostage takers is a white man who
reck was the ring leader. The media did not report it. maybe the media was
not able to get that near.