Daily News- April 15- 2002- Monday

  • India Reopens Case Of Thai Hijacking By Myanmar Activists

    • India Reopens Case Of Thai Hijacking By Myanmar Activists

    source : AP

    Soe Myint, who was arrested in New Delhi on Wednesday, appeared before a magistrate in the eastern city of Calcutta. A hearing was set for April 17 to hear charges against him.

    Soe Myint and another Myanmar dissident, Htin Kyaw, are accused of diverting a Thai Airways Bangkok-Yangon flight to Calcutta by threatening the crew with a bar of soap disguised as a bomb on Nov. 10, 1990.

    They said they diverted the aircraft to draw world attention to the pro-democracy movement of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in military-ruled Myanmar, which is also known as Burma.

    Magistrate Utpal Mishra rejected Soe Myint's bail application Sunday, and ordered him held by police.

    Soe Myint and Htin Kyaw initially received much sympathy in India, whose government supported Suu Kyi, and were given bail. Their case was stuck in the court for nearly 12 years, and Soe Myint went to live in the Indian capital, New Delhi, where he opened an information service on Myanmar. However, the charges were never dropped, and Sunday's hearing picked up where the original case left off.

    Soe Myint's lawyer, Nandita Haksar, told The Associated Press that the police arrested her client claiming that he had jumped bail granted 12 years ago and ignored summons. But Soe Myint has never received any summons, she said. It was not clear why Soe Myint's case has been revived now.

    Soe Myint's wife, Thin Thin, said her husband's arrest is the result of the renewed friendship between the Indian government and the military junta of Myanmar. The junta, which has been in power since 1988, is widely accused of suppressing democracy and jailing hundreds of Suu Kyi's supporters. Suu Kyi herself is under virtual house arrest.

    No information was immediately available on the whereabouts of Htin Kyaw.

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