3rd China Jet in Week Hijacked to Taiwan
Two Chinese men who hijacked a Chinese airliner to Taiwan today surrendered to authorities at Taipei’s international airport, an airport spokesman said. It was the third such hijacking in a week, and the seventh since April.
The spokesman said the men, from the northeastern province of Jilin, claimed to have taken part in the Chinese pro-democracy movement, which was crushed by Chinese troops in June, 1989.
The China Northern Airlines MD-82 jet, carrying 73 passengers and nine crew members, was hijacked over Shanghai on a domestic flight between the cities of Changchun and Fuzhou.
Reports said the hijackers were armed with knives as well as attache cases believed to contain explosives. The airport spokesman said a female crew member was injured during the hijacking.
In recent incidents, hijackers from China have sought political asylum in Taiwan, fueling hostility between the two governments.
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