Avoiding violence must take priority

The hostage takers were well on their way to freedom in Burma when they were ambushed and all shot dead by police and army sharpshooters. The result has satisfied many in power, but things should not have been allowed to get as far as they did.

Once again, the Burmese hostage takers all were killed in a hail of bullets when special military and police units used deadly force to end a crisis. But unlike the operation at the Ratchaburi Regional Hospital in January this year, where there were no casualties among the hostages, the warden of Samut Sakhon prison Somwong Siriwej was hit by four bullets yesterday morning and is now in critical condition.

The authorities have learned little from the occupation of the Burmese embassy in October 1999 and the Ratchaburi hospital siege in January. On both occasions, just as this week, the professional negotiators were not allowed to do their job. Most of the negotiations were handled by cabinet ministers through the media. This is an invitation to disaster.

The safety of the innocent should be the first concern in a hostage drama. Negotiators are trained to do their utmost to end every crisis peacefully. The use of force is the very last resort. It is used only when it is clear the hostage takers will harm the hostages or when all negotiation has been exhausted. Neither appeared to be the case with the Burmese jailbreakers. After mishandling the negotiations, the authorities simply wanted to send a message that anyone who tries to defy the law can expect to pay the consequences.

-- The Bangkok Post