Thread: Karenni man frees Thai hostage at UN Mae Sot refugee office

DKBA soldier holds a Thai hostage

A soldier of Burma's breakaway faction, armed with hand grenades, held a Thai hostage in Tak's Mae Sot district on Monday morning, demanding that Burma returned to Democracy.

The soldier was identified as Sorta Mini, of Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA and based in Poppra district of Tak province.

He seized Rote Laowan, a motorcycle taxi driver on Mae Sot-Mae Tao road in front of a UN High Commission for Refugees branch. He held two hand grenades whose pins were already removed.

He told police who rushed to the scene that he wanted to meet foreign journalists and UNHCR officials.

The Burmese demanded that Burmese military junta allow the country to return to democracy.

After a brief negotiation with police, he surrendered.

He then wrote a note in English and gave it to reporters.

It claimed that he was forced to be border protection soldier and that he did not recognise the result of the national election in 2010.

The note also called for the United Nations to help Burma resume democratic system.

After the surrender, Sor Ta reportedly asked the UNHCR to give him refugee status.

nationmultimedia.com

Fuck him. Turn him over to the Thai police. While I agree with his cause, I don't ageree with terrorizing some motocy driver. Cvnt.

A soldier from the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army surrendered on Monday after briefly seizing a hostage in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. The soldier, identified as Sorta Mini, seized motorcycle-taxi driver Rote Laowan on the Mae Sot-Mae Tao road in front of a branch office of the UNHCR. Holding two hand grenades with pins already removed, he demanded that the Burmese regime return Burma to a democratic nation. He reportedly asked for refugee status from the UNHCR after his surrender.

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“UNHCR officials kept away. The Royal Thai police were preparing to end the situation by force, but the Mae Sot district chief wanted to avoid bloodshed and was able to negotiate with the soldier. He surrendered to police without incident”.

The DKBA soldier was taken into police custody and is being detained at a local jail where he is expected to be charged with possessing illegal weapons, the source said.

Burmese refugees have staged numerous peaceful protests in front of the UNHCR office in Mae Sot, but this was the first incidence of violence.

The DKBA made demands for self-determination in ethnic areas and urged the United Nations to press the junta to respect the rights of ethnic minorities, according to witnesses.

He said that recent elections were ‘unfair’ and Burma’s controversial 2008 constitution was ‘unacceptable’, according to sources.

not a wise move.
probably hanging from his ankles now.