Japanese Ambassador Aoki apologizes for Lima siege

Japanese Ambassador Aoki apologizes for Lima siege

LIMA (Reuter): Freed Japanese ambassador Morihisa Aoki said he was ashamed that his elegant December cocktail reception turned into a nightmare when 14 Tupac Amaru rebels took hundreds of his guests hostage.

"I am ashamed," Aoki told a news conference only hours after Peruvian security forces rescued him and 70 other hostages from his besieged home. "I want to apologize to the Japanese government, to the Peruvian government and the Peruvian people."

Aoki, the ill-fated host of a reception to honor Japanese Emperor Akihito, found himself topping world headlines after the jungle-trained guerrillas stormed his palatial mansion on Dec 17.

The ambassador and 70 fellow captives crawled across a rooftop to freedom Tuesday in the middle of a fierce gun battle as Peruvian crack commandos swarmed over the besieged residence.

One hostage, judge Cesar Giusti, along with two soldiers and all the rebels, died in the assault.

When the explosions and gunfire first shook the elegant building in the leafy San Isidro neighborhood, Aoki said he was convinced he was going to die.

"After the explosion, the first thing that came into my head was my life ends now," said the 58-year-old ambassador.

"But moments later I realized that many people could survive this. I told everyone in the same room over and over again not to move."

Another hostage put a wet towel over Aoki's face to stop him from coughing from the tear gas drifting into the building. This camaraderie between the hostages -- all middle-aged men -- was the main reason most survived their 126-day ordeal relatively well, he said.

"We were able to achieve this partly because of the unity, pride, courage and perseverance among us hostages ... who I now call my brothers," said Aoki, who looked well despite arriving at the news conference in a wheelchair.

Disheveled but relaxed, he puffed calmly on a cigarette throughout the news conference.

Aoki, who was accompanied by his wife, said he suffered slight injuries to his legs and hips as he escaped the house.

"During my escape I tried ninja tricks and hurt my back and legs," he joked.

Although the guerrillas released most of their more than 500 hostages within weeks of the start of the siege, they held those they considered their best bargaining chips to pressure President Alberto Fujimori to release more than 450 jailed guerrillas.

The VIPs included Bolivian Ambassador Jorge Gumucio, Peruvian foreign minister Francisco Tudela, more than a dozen Japanese businessmen and Fujimori's younger brother, Pedro.

While their only direct contact with the outside world was letters to their families and radio broadcasts from their wives, the hostages never felt abandoned, Aoki said.

"The TV lights that glared on my bedroom night after night, although they kept me from sleeping at times, reminded me that the world had not forgotten about us," he said.

Famous as a gracious, charming host, Aoki joked with fellow hostages at the start of the siege that his party had lasted far longer than expected.

He also won praise from the captives for standing up during the initial rebel attack as bullets flew in all directions to beg the guerrillas to stop firing.