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The Nation (4-10-99) No.(2)
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<font face="Times New Roman, Times" size=5><b>(2)Helicopter pilot tells
of flight with Sukhumbhand, dissidents<br>
</font></b><font size=3>THE pilot of the helicopter that flew the
hostage-takers to safety following their siege at the Burmese Embassy
recounted his dangerous assignment, in which the life of a Cabinet member
was at stake. <br>
Pol Maj Somyot Buaman told The Nation that he had been a little scared
when he learned of his mission, adding that it was the first time he had
had to fly an aircraft for people who were ready to shoot him at anytime.
<br>
He said the five men had left the safety catches of their assault rifles
unlocked and some had held hand grenades throughout the ordeal. <br>
Somyot said he was ordered to fly his helicopter to wait for the
hostage-takers at the Armed Forces Preparatory School. After arriving
there, he got out of the helicopter and waited for further instructions
from Pol Chief Pracha Promnok. <br>
After it was confirmed that he had to fly the dissidents to the
Thai-Burmese border, Somyot climbed aboard. He said he noticed his armed
passengers were so nervous that their hands were trembling all the time.
<br>
The pilot said he had asked them to leave their weapons behind for the
sake of the safety for everyone on board, but they ignored him. Among the
passengers was Deputy Foreign Minister M R Sukhumbhand Paribatra, who
offered himself in exchange for the release of the hostages. <br>
''I saw that the situation became increasingly tense, so I advised M R
Sukhumbhand to try to make friends with the men. Then I lifted off. I
asked the gunmen where they wanted to go and they said 'Ratchaburi',''
Somyot said. <br>
He went on to say that the men were looking grim even after the
helicopter left Bangkok. He asked the ones holding grenades to keep them
out of the way and it was then that a mountain range came in sight. The
armed men looked relieved and all broke into smiles. <br>
They told him to keep flying along the range. He later realised that he
might be flying over Burmese territory and the helicopter risked being
shot at. <br>
It began to rain and the gunmen said they could not locate their
destination. After spending nearly half an hour flying aimlessly, Somyot
said he had told them he would fly them to a border village. But when he
descended, the men noticed a number of armed border policemen below. They
snatched up their grenades, yelled at him and ordered him to fly away.
<br>
He told them to say exactly where they wanted to go as the fuel was
running out. They told him to fly to the Takolang Base, but they did not
know its location, so he asked for their permission to radio a border
police base nearby for the coordinates. <br>
Somyot said that while flying over a mountain range, a pall of smoke came
into view, to the delight of the armed men. Some 40 armed men emerged
from the forest and waved. The armed men in the helicopter waved in
return. <br>
The men below were on an overhanging rock which had been cleared of
bushes, obviously to facilitate a helicopter landing, the pilot said.
Around the landing area lay some bonfires and sticks flying red flags.
<br>
''Because there were more armed men below, I asked the deputy minister if
he wanted me to land, for fear that they might hold us hostage there. He
told me to set down,'' Somyot said. <br>
He recounted that the leader of the gang, who identified himself as
Johnny [San Naing], had been the first to jump out of the helicopter
after it reached the ground. ''He hugged the people on the ground. The
others on board followed him and they all hugged each other,'' the pilot
said. <br>
He added that after all the armed dissidents had left, he was still
concerned they would point their guns at the helicopter. He prepared to
charge them with the aircraft if they resorted to foul play. <br>
Somyot said that after consulting with his co-pilot he let the helicopter
hover just above the ground to see the gang's response. <br>
''The men turned to us and the leader smiled and bowed to the deputy
minister. Then they waved us goodbye and slipped back into the forest,''
the pilot said. <br>
That was the first time during the one-hour flight that he had really
felt relieved. ''I was very excited, but the deputy minister remained
calm throughout. He insisted on landing, although we didn't know what
would happen to us,'' the pilot said. <br>
After refuelling in Kanchanaburi, he flew Sukhumbhand back to Bangkok.
<br>
The Nation<br>
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