Hostages Freed; Attackers Get to Leave Embassy

A group of armed attackers who seized the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok and held at least 30 people hostage since Friday freed them today and left the compound in two minivans to board a helicopter nearby, witnesses said.

They were driven to a school neighboring the embassy, where a police helicopter was waiting. They had insisted that Thai authorities allow them to escape to the Thai-Myanmar border.

The dissidents, who stormed the embassy Friday morning, had originally demanded a helicopter capable of seating 20 people so they could end their siege and take some hostages with them, but Thai officials said taking hostages was out of the question.

A police helicopter circled low over the embassy this morning, but police said later that it had been unable to find a landing spot at the embassy compound. The vans then arrived and drove the attackers to the nearby school.

The attackers’ leader, identified as Johnny, told a local radio station earlier that his group would not harm the approximately 30 hostages in the embassy if the promise to allow them to escape was kept.

Armed with rifles and grenades, the dissidents stormed the embassy gate Friday morning. After hours of negotiation, they released four captives and continued their demand to escape.

The initial releases came nearly 24 hours after the takeover. A young Thai woman walked out of the embassy as police teams surrounded the walled compound in downtown Bangkok.

As the sick woman was driven away in one of the 11 ambulances standing by, the 12 rebels inside released an ailing man dressed in a traditional Myanmar sarong. Later, another Myanmar national and another woman were set free. Police speculated that they were released because they were either ill or suffering extreme fatigue.

Before the hostages were released, police had said about 40 people were being held by the intruders, including 13 Myanmar diplomats, Thais and other Asians and Westerners.