Hijackers decent guvs, says N.Z. man

Press, 28 August 1984, Page 1

Hijackers decent guvs, says N.Z. man

by

HUGH STRINGLEMAN

Seven young Sikh extremists who hijacked an Indian Airlines flight over the week-end were very decent guys, generous and self-con-trolled, according to a Rangiora man who was one of their hostages. Mr Trevor Bartie, aged 46, said from New Delhi yesterday that the 35-hour ordeal was at times very harrowing and that he never wanted to be involved in such a thing again. He thought the hijackers, all in their late teens or early 20s, were fleeing from an intolerable situation in the Punjab. Although they made threats to blow up the plane and to execute Hindu passengers, the worst moments of real danger during the hijacking occurred when the Boeing 737 had problems with a landing at Karachi and when it appeared that the plane would ditch in the Persian Gulf. Mr Bartie recalled the ordeal for “The Press” from his hotel in New Delhi. He recently resigned his job as headmaster of the Rangiora New Life School for three months missionary work in India. He will return to his family at the end of the year. He was one of more than 70 passengers, including a

few English people, who joined Indian Airlines flight 421 from New Delhi to Jammu, in the north of India, at 6.15 a.m. last Friday. When the plane got over Pathankot, where Mr Bartie was to disembark to meet his host, Brother Vargis of the Indian Evangelical Team, the hijackers jumped to their feet and overpowered the cabin staff and air crew. The first real danger came when the pilot and copilot were tied up, but they were soon released. The pilot, Captain V. K. Mehta, was a veteran of a similar hijacking in July and one cabin steward was on his third such adventure. The plane altered course and about the time that it was due to land at Pathankot, the hijackers drew everyone’s attention to the fact that they were circling the famous Golden Temple at Amritsar, the scene of recent bloody clashes between Sikhs and the Indian Army. "I wanted to see the Golden Temple but not under those circumstances,” said Mr Bartie. Then at 8.30 a.m. they circled Lahore and it was not until 9.45 that they had permission to land. The plane pulled up on a remote part of the airport,

next to a village where Mr Bartie could watch daily life out the window and everyone spent 10 hours in that spot. When the air-conditioning on the plane failed it became unbearably hot, about 40 deg. Celsius, but eventually a portable unit was produced by the airport authorities. "We had very little food and not much to drink. The water was questionable, but I had to drink it, so far without ill effects. “Everything was quite casual and the police on the ground were unarmed.” Finally, the plane was refuelled and took off about 7 p.m., which was in itself a

cause for concern because most previous hijackings had ended at Lahore. “At that stage they wanted a 747 so they could go to the United States. If that had occurred I probably would have come home,” he said. Once in the air again, the hijackers produced a pistol and said they had a bomb. Hitherto they had been armed only with “kirpans,” long knives or pins concealed by some Sikhs in their turbans, and an axe they found on board the aircraft. “It seemed that the Pakistani authorities had provided the pistol. “We landed at Karachi at 9 p.m. with a frighteningly hard touch down which led to reports of structural damage to the aircraft. “Engineers were brought over to check the plane but it may have been a ruse to fool the hijackers.” Five people had been taken off at Lahore and another two at Karachi, one ■a woman with angina problems. “We joked with our kidnappers,” said Mr Bartie, “and they acted like waitresses with what food and drink could be found. “They were real gentlemen, but it didn’t relieve the tension.” At 2.15 a.m. on Saturday

morning they left Karachi and headed for Dubai, in the Persian Gulf. “I knew when we were over the Gulf because I could see the flares from the wells and refineries. “I could also see the - flight path at Dubai but then the lights were turned out to prevent us landing. “The tension really mounted with .about an hour of circling, and then it was announced that we were low on fuel and would have to ditch in the water. “We got down very low, next to the beach, and prepared to ditch. “The plane had no lifejackets or liferafts and we were instructed to use the seat cushions, which I was sure would prove inadequate. “Everyone was most upset, but there was no panic. “I believed we were going in and as I was sitting next to the emergency exit I had worked out how to open it,” he said. But at 6.20 a.m. the plane was given permission to land and further long, hot hours of bargaining followed. At 1 p.m. hopes were high of an agreement and food and drink were passed into the plane but at 3 p.m. things deteriorated again and the hijackers began taking names of Hindus, appar-

ently for a death list. It was not until 6.25 p.m. that the captain finally announced that agreement had been reached that the hijackers would stay seven days in Dubai and that negotiations for their passage to the United States would begin. “Amid tremendous relief we all shook hands and I took some photos of the hijackers,” said Mr Bartie. However, yet another hitch occurred and the leader of the gang argued for another 25 minutes as the planeload listened in complete silence. “The air-conditioning had been turned off and I was really gasping for air,” said Mr Bartie. “Some men on the plane were desperate enough to make plans to jump the hijackers. “But finally another agreement was reached and the leader then made a fiveminute speech to everyone. I wanted to tell him to shut up. I just wanted to put my feet on the ground.” When the passengers finally got into Dubai Airport they were given a royal reception by the authorities and the news media. “They gave us the best chilled fruit juice I have ever tasted,” he said, “and I had five glasses. The hijackers were left on the plane

and soldiers took them into custody. “Although they had prepared a meal for us at Dubai Airport my knees were really shaking after 35 hours on that plane. “As a treat we were allowed into the duty-free shop with our Indian rupees — remember this was an internal flight — and everyone went on a spending spree. “A real irony was that everyone was thoroughly searched and frisked at Dubai before taking off for Delhi, but that had not happened when the whole business started.” Mr Bartie finally reached his hotel at Delhi again at 5.20 a.m. on Sunday. He had also spoken to a former teacher of some of the Sikh hijackers and gained some valuable insights into why they did such a desperate act. J He attributed the landing at Dubai to a "real miracle.” “I heard later that Captain Mehta was convinced that the plane would not make it to the landing.” Mr Bartie, who is also an elder in the Rangiora New Life Pentecostal Fellowship, said he had prayed as he had .lever prayed before. He had also read and reread the words of Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd.”