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

25/1/00: OUR YOUNG LIBERATORS IN WR



POSTED TUE 25 JAN 2000; 6:00AM

GOD'S ARMY: OUR YOUNG LIBERATORS IN WRONG STEP

There has been a dramatic development at the Ratchaburi province in
recent hours. About 10 armed rebels from God's Army, which led by 12
years old twin brothers and a splinter group of Karen National Union,
has taken control of local Thai hospital and demanded Thai doctors treat
their colleagues. The Thai authorities sent down a 300 strong police
force to handle the hospital siege. Thai interior minister instructed
police to take tough action against the rebels.

In recent weeks, the Burmese army has  been in its dry season offensive
against God's Army, which made up of 100 guerrillas. There have been
unconfirmed reports of Thai army shelling of these rebels, after having
lost four soldiers in an explosion of landmine within Burmese terrtory.
The God's Army is certainly under pressure from two armies. The rebels
demand, so far, seems to be to treat their wounded colleagues at that
hospital. Whether Burmese army has any taste for military victory over
the God's Army is something to ponder. But any suggestion on this
hospital siege as terrorist activity may considered being far-fetched.

For outside observers, the overall political picture at the Thai/Burmese
border have suddenly become confusing since November-1999. The plight of
Burmese migrant workers, though, have eased somewhat. But, there are
unconfirmed reports of Thai military pushing the refugees(recent
arrivals) across Burmese border. The UNHCR has also been requested by
Thai NSC to step up efforts to stem the tide of inflow of Burmese
refugees into Thailand. Recent reports by Bangkok Post regarding
repatriation of refugees to Burma are also not helping to alleviate our
confusion. Some information blackout on the Internet has also been
detected.

One notable thing of our political movement is that its precarious
existence amongst powerful international political forces. The ethnic
rebel fighters, especially, have to rely on the understanding of
neighboring government/army. In politics, these supports are fragile and
slight mistake could have make a lot of damage.

Though political consequence for the God's Armys hospital siege may be
undesirable, it will be quite unfair to blame the God's Army for taking
such drastic action. Only those who are on the ground would know the
kind of pressure applied by Burmese and Thai army. I am quite concern
about the situation in Thailand as the usual communications from our
groups via internet are not receiving. Another unfortunate factor:
passing away last December of U Tin Maung Win, who was the Vice-chair of
DAB. When activist of this stature died, various contacts and leadership
went away with him. There is certain vacuum exists as regards ethnic
federal movement.

In any case, I can certainly foresee a tougher time ahead for all our
pro-democracy groups in Thailand. Furthermore, a lot more refined
political judgment will have to be made by our refugees and
pro-democracy leaders by themselves, in order to keep our ethnic
federal movement alive.

With best regards, U Ne Oo.

*************************************

THAI-HOSPITAL ASIA: MEN RAID PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL, SHOTS FIRED
DATE: 12:30 24-Jan-00 
 ASIA: Men raid provincial hospital, shots fired _ 2 Thai Hospital 2
Bangkok (Reopens)

 Provincial governor Komain Daengthongdee told a local radio station the
men said they had taken hostages and planted a bomb near the entrance of
hospital.

 The building is close to administrative offices in the town and he had
ordered their evacuation and that of nearby schools.

 "I am now asking the army to send men to help us as soon as possible,"
Komain said. "At this moment we believe that the armed men are Karen
guerrillas. We are seeking more details."

 Ratchaburi province is home to a holding centre for dissident students
who fled military rule in neighbouring Burma.

 In October last year a group of five armed Burmese dissidents took over
the Burmese embassy in Bangkok for 25 hours before being allowed safe
passage by the Thai authorities to an area controlled by a breakaway
Karen faction.

 REUTERS sk 
**************
THAI-HOSPITAL ASIA: GUNMEN SEIZE THAI HOSPITAL, TAKE HOSTAGES
DATE: 14:45 24-Jan-00 
 ASIA: Gunmen seize Thai hospital, take hostages Thai hospital Nightlead
 By Sutin Wannabovorn
 RATCHABURI, Thailand, Jan 24 Reuters - Gunmen from a Burmese guerrilla
group called God's Army stormed a hospital west of Bangkok today and
took about 200 doctors and patients hostage, Thai officials said.

 The attackers demanded that they be allowed to move freely at the
border and that doctors and nurses treat guerrillas wounded in raids by
Rangoon troops on their base in military-ruled Burma, Thai Interior
Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said.

 Witnesses said about 10 gunmen fired volleys of shots after storming
the Ratchaburi hospital about 120 km west of Bangkok but it was unclear
if there were any casualties.

 Provincial governor Komain Daengthongdee told a local radio station the
attackers had said they had planted a bomb near the entrance of the
building.

 Local television said a senior police officer who entered the hospital
to negotiate with the attackers was greeted by warning shots, but later
allowed in.

 It said hospital officials were ordered to stand at the hospital door
to tell police and soldiers to keep their distance.

 Police said about 200 medical staff and patients were in the hospital,
the main medical facility for Ratchaburi province.

 Thai troops were ordered into the area and the hospital was surrounded
by about 300-400 armed police and security forces.

 "Firstly I have ordered security forces to protect the lives of the
hospital staff and the patients," Sanan said. "I have also told them to
take tough action against the attackers."

 God's Army is a band of about 100 Christian fighters based just inside
Burma opposite Ratchaburi and commanded by two young ethnic fighters.
The group broke away from the mainstream Karen National Union guerrillas
who have fought for greater autonomy from the Burmese central government
for over 50 years.

 The provincial governor said that since the hospital was close to
administrative offices in the town he had ordered their evacuation and
that of nearby schools.

 Police said the armed group had hijacked a bus near the Burmese border
to drive to the hospital. They quoted the driver as saying that the
raiders were from God's Army.

 Local member of parliament Wichet Kasemthongsri told radio the group
had been involved in clashes with Burmese troops in the past few days
and had fled into Thailand. He said they had shot and killed some Thais
when they crossed the border, but he gave no details.

 Witnesses told TV stations the attackers fired periodic warning shots.
Many relatives waited anxiously for news of family members trapped in
the hospital.

 Witnesses also said they heard attackers shouting their demands for
doctors.

 In early October, five armed Burmese dissidents who seized the Burmese
embassy in Bangkok and took hostages sought refuge with God's Army after
being allowed safe passage to the border by the Thai authorities.

 Interior Minister Sanan had said then the attackers were not terrorists
but radical student activists fighting for democracy.

 Ratchaburi province is also home to a holding centre for dissident
students who fled military rule in Burma.

 The Ratchaburi centre is administered by the UN High Commissioner for
Refugees. A UNHCR spokesman said it was too early to comment on the
hospital seizure and who was responsible.

 The Burmese embassy siege was carried out in nearly the same fashion.
It was punctuated by frequent bursts of gunfire by the attackers and
without casualties. After the attack, Thai authorities ordered Burmese
dissident students to register with the UNHCR for resettlement in
countries other than Thailand.

 The move raised tensions at Ratchaburi holding centre due to a big
increase in numbers of people living there and restrictions placed on
their movements.

 REUTERS ts 
************
THAI-HOSPITAL-GODS ASIA: GOD'S ARMY -- BITTER OPPONENTS OF RANGOON
REGIME 
DATE: 17:55 24-Jan-00 
 ASIA: God's Army -- bitter opponents of Rangoon regime Thai hospital
gods

 RATCHABURI, Thailand, Jan 24 AFP - God's Army, which seized a Thai
hospital today is a 200-strong ethnic Karen militia led by teenage
brothers bitterly opposed to Burma's military junta.

 Members of the group, which has been holed up in thick jungles along
the Thai-Burma border, deny they are terrorists, preferring to style
themselves as freedom fighters for democracy.

 The group is a religious offshoot of the ethnically-based Karen
National Union (KNU) which has been locked in a bloody independence
struggle with the Rangoon junta for decades.

 The shady band of fighters is believed to be led by two twin brothers
said by their followers to possess mystical powers.

 Some reports say the boys are as young as 12 years old, others say they
are 15, but their identity or ages have never been confirmed.

 Since October, God's Army has been sheltering five gunmen from another
dissident Burmese group, the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW)
which stormed Yangon's embassy here last year, severely damaging
Burmese-Thai relations.

 In a statement issued in December, God's Army said it was sheltering
the men because their actions were designed to trigger revolt against
the junta, and were not acts of terrorism.

 "The embassy siege may look like terrorism against another country but
it was merely intended to break the domestic political stalemate in our
country," said the statement, written in Burmese.

 It accused the Burmese army of killing and raping villagers in border
areas and destroying their homes in March 1997 during an attack on the
KNU.

 "We could not sit around to let this happen any longer so we acquired
weapons and decided to fight against the Rangoon military dictatorship,"
the statement said.

 Burma was outraged when the embassy siege ended when Thailand provided
the five VBSW gunmen with a helicopter to escape to the border.

 It shut the frontier with its neighbour in protest and only agreed to
reopen it in late November.

 Thailand has promised to try the five embassy gunmen if they are found
in the country.

 The border has been tenser than usual in recent days after four Thai
troops were killed in a hunt for  unidentified intruders last week.

 The VBSW said they had come under attack from both the Burmese and Thai
armies.

 AFP ts 
********************
 
                                 AAP 2000

THAI-HOSPITAL ASIA: MORE HOSTAGES RELEASED AS GUERRILLAS CONTINUE SIEGE 
DATE: 05:20 25-Jan-00 
 ASIA: More hostages released as guerrillas continue siege Thai Hospital
Daylead

 By Thaksina Khaikaew

 RATCHABURI, Thailand, Jan 24 AP - Myanmar rebels armed with guns and
grenades crossed into Thailand and seized a hospital today,  taking
hundreds of people hostage and demanding doctors treat injured soldiers.

 The rebels, believed to be from God's Army, a Myanmar insurgent group
led by 12-year-old twin boys, have been under sustained attack by 
Myanmar troops for a week at their mountain base near the border. The
violence has driven at least 1,000 minority Karen refugees into 
neighbouring Thailand.

 Interior Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, directing negotiations to end
the siege in the western town of Ratchaburi, said the rebels were 
demanding Thai doctors treat their wounded. They also wanted Thailand to
give refuge to their estimated 200 fighters and stop shelling  across
the border into Myanmar.

 No one was reported to have been harmed, but the rebels tied explosives
to the hospital gates and laid mines around the area.

 Kachornprasart and Thai army commander Surayud Chulanond both
identified the captors as belonging to the God's Army rebel group, but 
the rebels did not identify themselves in a statement of demands.

 Army commander Gen. Surayud Chulanond said Thailand would meet demands
to shelter people fleeing the fighting and treat injured rebels  in Thai
hospitals. Rebels will also be allowed to take shelter in Thailand, but
only if they surrender their weapons.

 Dr. Kawat Suntrajarn, deputy permanent secretary at the Public Health
Ministry, said 200 medical staff and 600 patients were being held
inside  the sprawling hospital compound.

 The insurgents had secured the five-story administrative building and
the emergency room building, where about 200 people were believed to 
have been when the building was seized. It was unclear how many were
actually being held at gunpoint.

 More than 100 people had managed to leave the sprawling, six-acre
walled compound of 750-bed facility by midnight. Perhaps 40 were 
released in dribs and drabs. Many more had escaped from eight outlying
buildings.

 Around midnight, an 8-year-old boy who was in a coma following brain
surgery was allowed to be taken to another hospital. A pregnant 
18-year-old who had gone into labor was sent out. So were five children.

 A Thai television cameraman allowed inside took footage showing scores
of people looking frightened and sitting on rows of benches. A  masked
man spoke into a mobile telephone in one hand and brandished an assault
rifle in the other.

 It appeared that the rebels were mostly in the general and emergency
wards, and that treatment of patients was still taking place.

 Early today, the raiders hijacked a bus near the border and forced the
driver to take them 45 miles to downtown Ratchaburi, where they 
captured the hospital, said Boonmak Sirinavakul, the local member of
parliament.

 Boonmak said the group had requested two helicopters, although it was
unclear where they wanted to fly to.

 A nurse interviewed on a mobile telephone by the ITV television network
said the group first captured doctors and nurses, holding guns to  their
heads and keeping them in the emergency room. They were later allowed to
move around.

 Some medical personnel tried changing into plain clothes to avoid
capture, said the nurse, who was not identified.

 It was unknown if the rebels included the Vigorous Burmese Student
Warriors, five dissidents who seized Myanmar's embassy October 1 in 
Bangkok, taking about 40 hostages.

 The hostages were released unharmed a day later in a deal that allowed
the students to go free. The deal angered Myanmar's military 
government, which closed its border with Thailand for two months.
Thailand has since vowed to arrest the students, and has been screening 
recent refugees to find them.

 The dissidents have hidden out with God's Army, composed mostly of
ethnic Karens and led by Johnny and Luther Htoo, who are thought to 
have mystical powers in battle that render them invincible.

 The Associated Press interviewed the twins and members of the Vigorous
Burmese Student Warriors in December at their jungle base, and  they
expressed a deep hatred of the Myanmar army, accused of waging
scorched-earth policies to subdue the Karen.

 The students said they were fighting for democracy in their homeland,
also known as Burma, ruled by military dictators since 1962. The  Karens
have been fighting for more autonomy for more than 50 years.

 Like most Karens, God's Army are Christians in a predominantly Buddhist
country. The twins don't allow fighting, swearing, drugs or alcohol.

 AP was/bdm 


-- 
HTTP://www.physics.adelaide.edu.au/~uneoo
EMAILS: drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx, uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
POSTMAIL: Dr U Ne Oo, 18 Shannon Place, Adelaide SA 5000, AUSTRALIA
[http://freeburma.org/[http://www.angelfire.com/al/homepageas/index.htm]
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =