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

AP-Rebel Who Took Over Myanmar Emba



Subject: AP-Rebel Who Took Over Myanmar Embassy Vows To Fight On

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0034_01BF429C.5A7DF9C0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Thursday, December 9 1:46 PM SGT=20
Rebel Who Took Over Myanmar Embassy Vows To Fight On
KA MAR PA LAW, Myanmar (AP)--Hiding at a jungle base with authorities =
from two countries hunting him, the leader of a small band of student =
rebels who seized Myanmar's embassy in Thailand two months ago said the =
ambassador was lucky to still be alive.=20
The man known as Johnny, whose capture of the embassy was the boldest =
move in years by Myanmar's outmaneuvered pro-democracy movement, told =
The Associated Press this week at a remote hideout in Myanmar, also =
known as Burma, that he will keep fighting as long as he lives.=20

Johnny, about 30 years old, said his group, who call themselves the =
Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors and are called terrorists by Myanmar's =
military regime, had been prepared to kill Ambassador Hla Maung - who by =
luck of timing had left the embassy just before the seizure.=20

The group was also prepared to kill four other Myanmar citizens if it =
had to, Johnny said.=20

"I have to say the ambassador is very lucky," said Johnny, handing out =
one of Hla Maung's stolen business cards. "I saw his car leave the =
embassy about five minutes before we entered, but it was too late to =
call off the operation."=20

In a sign of frustration dogging Myanmar's opposition after decades of =
harsh military rule, Johnny denounced Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the =
harassed legal opposition and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for =
her nonviolent promotion of democracy.=20

"I don't like Suu Kyi because I don't think she really loves the =
country," Johnny remarked. "She doesn't have the courage to run the =
country."=20

He said that Suu Kyi's marriage to a British academic, the late Michael =
Aris, proved that she preferred foreigners to her own people - a line of =
reasoning pushed by the military government in its branding of Suu Kyi =
as a traitor.=20

"I'll be against her if she's in the government," Johnny said.=20

Suu Kyi and her party criticized the embassy takeover a few days after =
it happened, expressing sympathy for the aims but declaring that her =
movement wanted to "show that the human spirit can prevail over the =
might of arms and bring about the change that we want."=20

Apologizes To Thailand=20

Johnny and four other exiled students stormed the embassy Oct. 1, =
demanding a restoration of democracy in Myanmar and holding dozens of =
diplomats and foreigners hostage at gunpoint for 26 hours until the =
captors were given safe passage to the border.=20

The incident rocked Thailand's relations with Myanmar, particularly =
because Thai officials who negotiated the bloodless end to the siege =
called the hostage-takers freedom-fighters.=20

Myanmar retaliated by closing the border. Thailand then expelled about =
10,000 illegal Myanmarese workers and has moved to send exiled student =
dissidents who have been based in Thailand for more than a decade to =
third countries.=20

Johnny and his comrades are on the run from Thai police, who have issued =
warrants for their arrest. The Myanmar army, whose control over the =
rebel-ridden border area is uneven, dearly wants to capture them.=20

They have surfaced at the border base of a small, mystical ethnic Karen =
guerrilla band known as God's Army, led by twin 12-year-old boys.=20

Johnny's one regret was that Thailand toughened conditions for Myanmar =
refugees after the takeover. He apologized to Thailand for having to =
carry out the action on its soil.=20

Johnny expressed enthusiasm for God's Army, which gave them shelter when =
more established rebel groups were apparently unwilling. Still, he =
promised that the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors would not fade away. =


"We won't be here too long," he said. "There's still many more things to =
do. But can't say what they will be. It will be a fight to get rid of =
the Burmese government."=20


------=_NextPart_000_0034_01BF429C.5A7DF9C0
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><B>Thursday, December 9</B> 1:46 PM SGT =

<H2><FONT color=3D#ff0000 size=3D4>Rebel Who Took Over Myanmar Embassy =
Vows To Fight=20
On</FONT></H2>KA MAR PA LAW, Myanmar (AP)--Hiding at a jungle base with=20
authorities from two countries hunting him, the leader of a small band =
of=20
student rebels who seized Myanmar's embassy in Thailand two months ago =
said the=20
ambassador was lucky to still be alive.=20
<P>The man known as Johnny, whose capture of the embassy was the boldest =
move in=20
years by Myanmar's outmaneuvered pro-democracy movement, told The =
Associated=20
Press this week at a remote hideout in Myanmar, also known as Burma, =
that he=20
will keep fighting as long as he lives.=20
<P>Johnny, about 30 years old, said his group, who call themselves the =
Vigorous=20
Burmese Student Warriors and are called terrorists by Myanmar's military =
regime,=20
had been prepared to kill Ambassador Hla Maung - who by luck of timing =
had left=20
the embassy just before the seizure.=20
<P>The group was also prepared to kill four other Myanmar citizens if it =
had to,=20
Johnny said.=20
<P>"I have to say the ambassador is very lucky," said Johnny, handing =
out one of=20
Hla Maung's stolen business cards. "I saw his car leave the embassy =
about five=20
minutes before we entered, but it was too late to call off the =
operation."=20
<P>In a sign of frustration dogging Myanmar's opposition after decades =
of harsh=20
military rule, Johnny denounced Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the harassed =
legal=20
opposition and winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent =
promotion=20
of democracy.=20
<P>"I don't like Suu Kyi because I don't think she really loves the =
country,"=20
Johnny remarked. "She doesn't have the courage to run the country."=20
<P>He said that Suu Kyi's marriage to a British academic, the late =
Michael Aris,=20
proved that she preferred foreigners to her own people - a line of =
reasoning=20
pushed by the military government in its branding of Suu Kyi as a =
traitor.=20
<P>"I'll be against her if she's in the government," Johnny said.=20
<P>Suu Kyi and her party criticized the embassy takeover a few days =
after it=20
happened, expressing sympathy for the aims but declaring that her =
movement=20
wanted to "show that the human spirit can prevail over the might of arms =
and=20
bring about the change that we want."=20
<P>Apologizes To Thailand=20
<P>Johnny and four other exiled students stormed the embassy Oct. 1, =
demanding a=20
restoration of democracy in Myanmar and holding dozens of diplomats and=20
foreigners hostage at gunpoint for 26 hours until the captors were given =
safe=20
passage to the border.=20
<P>The incident rocked Thailand's relations with Myanmar, particularly =
because=20
Thai officials who negotiated the bloodless end to the siege called the=20
hostage-takers freedom-fighters.=20
<P>Myanmar retaliated by closing the border. Thailand then expelled =
about 10,000=20
illegal Myanmarese workers and has moved to send exiled student =
dissidents who=20
have been based in Thailand for more than a decade to third countries.=20
<P>Johnny and his comrades are on the run from Thai police, who have =
issued=20
warrants for their arrest. The Myanmar army, whose control over the =
rebel-ridden=20
border area is uneven, dearly wants to capture them.=20
<P>They have surfaced at the border base of a small, mystical ethnic =
Karen=20
guerrilla band known as God's Army, led by twin 12-year-old boys.=20
<P>Johnny's one regret was that Thailand toughened conditions for =
Myanmar=20
refugees after the takeover. He apologized to Thailand for having to =
carry out=20
the action on its soil.=20
<P>Johnny expressed enthusiasm for God's Army, which gave them shelter =
when more=20
established rebel groups were apparently unwilling. Still, he promised =
that the=20
Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors would not fade away.=20
<P>"We won't be here too long," he said. "There's still many more things =
to do.=20
But can't say what they will be. It will be a fight to get rid of the =
Burmese=20
government." </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0034_01BF429C.5A7DF9C0--