1999 Myanmar Embassy siege
| 1999 Myanmar Embassy siege | |
|---|---|
| Part of Internal conflict in Myanmar | |
| Location | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Date | 7 October 1999 |
|
Attack type
|
Hostage situation, 89 hostages taken |
| Weapons |
AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades, grenade launchers |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Perpetrators |
Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors God's Army (disputed) |
The 1999 Myanmar Embassy siege of 7 October 1999 was the seizure of the Burmese embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. A group of Burmese dissidents from the Vigorous Burmese Student Warriors (VBSW) and allegedly God's Army stormed the Burmese embassy and held 89 people, including embassy staff, Burmese nationals, foreigners, and Thai citizens. All hostages were released unharmed and the hostage takers escorted to the Burmese-Thai border by Thai authorities.
Myanmar (Burma) had been under military rule since 1962 when General Ne Win staged a coup against the democratically elected government of U Nu. He implemented the Burmese Way to Socialism system which greatly impoverished the country. In addition, the Karens had been fighting a civil war for an independent homeland since 1949. This pitted them against the majority Burman-dominated government.
In 1988, various pro-democracy demonstrations nearly succeeded in toppling the authoritarian power structure, only to be replaced by the army after a brutal crackdown. At that time, many university students from Yangon's universities fled to the Burmese-Thai border where many took up arms to restore democracy, forming the All Burma Students' Democratic Front. Democratic elections were held in 1990 where Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won an overwhelming majority. The junta refused to honour the results and proceeded to root out the pro-democratic forces. In 1997, led by Johnny and Luther Htoo, a group of 200 Karen Christian families left the Karen National Union and formed the God's Army (revolutionary group). Hundreds of democracy and human rights activists, including exiled students, claim refuge in Thailand and they regularly lobby for greater democracy in Myanmar.
...
Wikipedia