New lives in Taiwan for hijackers

Press, 15 August 1984, Page 10

New lives in Taiwan for hijackers

NZPA-Reuter Taipei Six hijackers of a Chinese airliner began new lives in Taiwan yesterday after being freed from prison in South Korea, and were praised by the island’s President as opponents of communism. The five men and one woman were received by President Chiang Ching-Kuo yesterday as Taiwan feted them as national heroes for commandeering a Britishbuilt Trident airliner during a domestic flight last year. Two crew members were shot and wounded in the incident. The hijacking ended with the plane landing in South Korea where the hijackers were sentenced to prison terms of up to six years.

Cho Charig-Jen, the leader of the group, told a news conference that they had hijacked the plane for freedom and a better future. Cho said he and the others would prefer to study for a while in Taiwan before deciding what to do later. The six were clearly surprised when they were given a total of $U546,000 ($92,000) by Taiwanese and an agency which provides relief for Chinese defectors. Cho said the average salary of the six in China was 50 yuan (about $4O) a month. The South Korean Government said on Monday that the Justice Ministry had decided to free the six by suspending their sentences and “promptly expelling them from the country.” “On the basis of humanitarianism, they will be allowed to choose their destination by their own free will,” the Government said. They were then handed over to Taiwanese diplomats and taken to the airport. The hijacking led to the first direct official contacts between China and South Korea which do not have diplomatic relations. A Chinese delegation visited Seoul to negotiate the return of the airliner and relations have continued to improve with both countries exchanging sports visits. Officials in Taipei said yesterday that Taiwan would make “proper arrangements” for the six who would be free to choose their own work. The Foreign Ministry yesterday expressed gratitude for Seoul’s “humanitarian decision” while the Nationalist Party newspaper hailed the Government of President Chun Doo Hwan as “truly democratic and anti-Communist, and a trusted friend of the Republic of (China (Taiwan).’’