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Reuters-Myanmar animals say embassy



Reply-To: "TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Reuters-Myanmar animals say embassy gunmen terrorists 

Myanmar says embassy gunmen terrorists
07:17 a.m. Oct 04, 1999 Eastern
BANGKOK, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Myanmar accused Thailand on Monday of glorifying
the gunmen who seized its Bangkok mission last week and suggested some of
the foreigners taken hostage helped stage the attack.

Myanmar's military government, in a statement faxed to Reuters, called the
gunmen terrorists and warned that referring to them as student pro-democracy
activists would invite further attacks on Myanmar missions from
anti-government groups.

The government statement said its suspected the 25-hour siege that began
last Friday appeared to be ``more or less a stage-act where some foreigners
who came into the embassy to apply for visas had also been involved.''

Thai Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart had said after the siege ended
on Saturday and again on Monday that the heavily armed attackers were not
international terrorists but radical student activists fighting for
democracy.

The five attackers brandishing AK-47 assault rifles and hand grenades held
89 people, including Myanmar diplomats, embassy staff and families and
foreigners hostages until they negotiated an escape with Thai authorities.

Labelling themselves the ``Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors,'' the gunmen
persuaded the authorities to let them flee to the Thai-Myanmar border in a
military helicopter. They took two Thai officials along to guarantee safe
passage.

As the helicopter was about to take off, some of the freed foreign hostages
unfurled pro-democracy headbands and a flag, euphorically cheering and
shouting support for the attackers.

``One wonders at any point during the entire siege of the embassy if the
trigger-happy gunmen's or hand grenade jugglers' activity resulted in death
of not only the embassy staff but families including children, can they
still be regarded not as terrorists but students fighting for democracy,''
the Myanmar government statement said.

While expressing relief at the quick end to the siege, Myanmar said it and
the world community were deeply concerned over the future safety and
security of their representatives abroad.

It said the way the embassy attackers had been condoned, despite having
threatened the lives of Myanmar diplomats and their families including
children, could set a bad precedent.

``Other radical or non-radical groups may get the wrong message that these
kind of terrorist and criminal activities can be conveniently carried out
under the banner of freedom, democracy and human rights,'' it added.

Myanmar also said one of the attackers had been involved in the hijacking of
a Myanmar aircraft to Thailand about 10 years ago and was caught last year
with a huge cache of explosives in Thailand.

``Unfortunately a number of camps along the Thai-Myanmar border are also a
home to these sorts of people, obviously becoming breeding grounds for armed
violence and sanctuaries for radicals,'' it added.

Thailand provides sanctuary for many Myanmar student dissidents who fled
across the border after the Yangon military killed thousands in crushing a
pro-democracy uprising in 1988.

It has also allowed frequent pro-democracy demonstrations in front of the
embassy in Bangkok.