Hijackers kill aircrew of Vietnamese DC3

Press, 31 October 1977, Page 1

Hijackers kill aircrew of Vietnamese DC3

NZPA-Reuter Singapore An Air Vietnam DC3 airliner, seized by four armed Vietnamese hijackers and forced to land in Singapore on Saturday, left yesterday for Vietnam leaving the bodies of two victims, a Government spokesman said.

The plane, with 31 passengers and three crew on board, had left for Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) at 9.35 a.m. (2.5 p.m. N.Z. time).

The spokesman said the four hijackers and another passenger who refused to return on the plane were still being detained in Singapore. A steward was still in hospital with critical injuries.

The pilot, Nguyen Van La, aged 34. describing the hijacking at an earlymorning press conference, said: “We had been travelling for about 15 minutes when I heard shots. I looked round and saw the flight mechanic and the radio operator lying on the floor.

“They were not quite dead, but the hijackers finished them off by stabbing them with long knives.”

The Singapore Government has made no official statement about what it plans to do with the hijackers. Singapore has no extradition treaty with Vietnam. The hijacked plane stopped for fuel in Thailand on its way to Singapore. According to aviation

sources, Thai authorities were told that the hijackers aboard sought refuge.

Passengers on the flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Thailand included 21 women and six children, Mr La said, speaking fluent English. The pilot of the DC3 said he was initially refused permission to land at Singapore’s Paya Lebar International Airport. “But I told the control tower at Singapore that we were running out of fuel and that the hijackers had said they would kill everyone on board unless we were allowed to land at Singapore. After this, we were told we could land at Seletar aerodrome.”

He said he had gathered from overheard conversation that some of the passengers on board were sympathetic to the hijackers and wanted to stay in Singapore.

Once the plane landed at Seletar, a small airport in the heart of a sprawling military and air force base, negotiations began between the hijackers and Government officials headed by the Defence Minister (Dr Goh Geng-wee).

After five hours, the hijackers gave up and released the remaining passengers and crew. They had earlier tossed out their only pistol and three knives onto the tarmac.

The Singapore Government spokesman said the

aircraft had been refuelled and enough food had been supplied for a non-stop flight to Ho Chi Minh City, about 1200 km across the South China Sea.

The dilemma for Singapore is whether to grant the hijackers political asylum or return them to Vietnam. An official statement issued last night said: “An inquiry will now be held to determine the facts, which will then be processed in accordance with international law and conventions governing such matters.”

The four hijackers, all believed to be young men, are in police custody. A military spokesman in Bangkok said that Thai authorities allowed the aircraft to land at Thailand’s LJtapao Airbase for refuelling, but refused to accept the bodies of the

slain or to give asylum to the hijackers. The Royal Thai Navy commander-in-chief was quoted in local newspapers as saying: “We gave them food, water, and fuel for humanitarian reasons, but refused to accept the bodies. ... It would have complicated the matter.” The DC3 reportedly remained on Thai soil for more than two hours before leaving for Singapore.

Thailand and Vietnam have experienced generally poor relations since the Communist victory in southern Vietnam in 1975. The military leaders who staged a coup in Bangkok on October 20 have said they would strive to improve relations with the Hanoi Government. The two nations signed a diplomatic accord in 1976, but have yet to exchange ambassadors.