Ten rebels die as commandos end hospital siege

RATCHABURI (AFP): Thai commandos launched a daring pre-dawn raid today to end a 24-hour hospital siege, killing 10 Burmese rebels and freeing their 500 hostages unharmed, officials said. “We were able to save all the hostages; we had to save them because they were patients,” the commander of the raid, Lt Gen Thaveep Suwannasingh, said. He said nine rebels were shot dead when troops raided the hospital at Ratchaburi, 120 kilometers west of Bangkok, which was seized by the gunmen early yesterday. A tenth gunman, who was originally believed to have escaped, was later shot dead in an exchange of fire with police, Pol Lt Gen Anan Haemaphanon told reporters. Five members of the security forces were injured in the operation, he added.