Australian hostages refuse to speak about China ordeal
Staff writers with AAPMarch 07, 2008 12:31pm
[b]THREEof the 10 Australian travel agents taken hostage in China have arrivedback in Melbourne but have refused to talk about their ordeal.[/b]
Instead they were escorted from Melbourne airport by a pack of federal police officers.
Thewomen were among a group of 10 travel agents taken hostage on a bus inthe city of Xi'an on Wednesday by a man carrying explosives, who waslater shot dead by Chinese police.
The three women touched down just after 8am after flying in from Shanghai.
Theywere taken into the Australian Federal Police (AFP) office at theairport before being whisked into waiting cars surrounded by six AFPofficers.
It is believed the women were driven away by AFP staff.
AFP officers made sure the media kept their distance and refused to answer any questions at the airport.
All three women refused to speak about their experience.
There is speculation some may have sold their stories to the media.
The women included Rhiannon Dunkley, 22, from Corowa, on the Victorian-NSW border.
Herhusband Joel and three other family members, believed to be MsDunkley's mother, father and sister, were waiting at the airport gateto welcome her home.
They all piled into the back of the car with Ms Dunkley and left the airport.
The identities of the other two women are not known.
An AFP spokeswoman said their officers were merely checking on the welfare of the hostages.
She would not answer questions about whether police were escorting Ms Dunkley back to Corowa.
A DFAT spokesman said the hostages had requested they be left alone.
"The10 individuals concerned have said they do not wish to speak to themedia at this time and we're obliged to respect their request forprivacy,'' he said.
"It's certainly not a decision on the part of the department.''
Thetravel agents were on a bus with a Chinese translator at the Bell andDrum Tower Square in Xi'an - famous for its Terracotta Warriors - whena Chinese national armed with explosives seized the vehicle onWednesday.
Nine hostages were initially released but a48-year-old NSW woman and the translator were kept captive for severalhours before police shot the man dead.
The party was laterflown to safety in Shanghai where they were looked after by Australianconsular staff before boarding flights back to Australia.
AnAFP spokeswoman would not confirm whether all 10 tourists had returnedto Australia, saying it was a matter for the Department of ForeignAffairs and Trade (DFAT).
A DFAT spokeswoman told AAP it didnot have the travel details or itineraries of the returningAustralians, saying the foreign office only assisted Australiansoverseas.
A rising country music star yesterday told how shefeared she'd be killed by the hijacker who took her and nine otherAustralians hostage on a tour bus in China.
Taryn Trautschrevealed she cowered in fear with her companions - all travel agents -and their interpreter as the deranged man threatened to detonateexplosives strapped to his waist.
It was revealed yesterday that a 48-year-old NSW woman convinced theman to release most of the hostages as he took control of the bus inXian, a tourist mecca in northwest China, on Wednesday.
Ms Trautsch, a popular country music performer who appeared at theTamworth Festival this year to rave reviews, was in China with othertravel agents on a familiarisation tour of Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai,organised by China Bestours.
In a desperate phone call to her Sydney-based father, Craig, at theheight of the drama, Ms Trautsch, 21, said Xia had stormed the bus andbegan "ranting in Chinese" about wanting to "go to the palace and seethe president".
"I was terrified," she told her father.
"A man with explosives got on our bus and he was going crazy."
Ms Trautsch said she and several others ran from the bus as soon as they could.
"I just got off with a few others but there are still people on the bus," she said.
Another passenger said it was terrifying when the bomber turned tothe group and opened his coat to reveal explosives strapped to hisbody.
After a tense two-hour stand-off police snipers shot and killed the man.
The man was identified as Xia Tao, a Xian local.
None of the hostages was seriously injured.
Mr Trautsch said he realises how lucky his daughter is to be alive.
"Not many bombers don't activate the bomb," he said.
"I told her to stay cool."
Ms Trautsch said a 48-year-old woman in the group had been heroic.
"She convinced the bomber to let some passengers leave the bus because he didn't need so many," Ms Trautsch told her father.
"When they were off the bus, she convinced the bomber to let therest go as well, saying he only needed her as a hostage. It was verybrave."
The woman and the tour interpreter were kept on the bus for severalhours as it headed for Xian airport on the bomber's instructions.
Authorities said the distressed woman was briefly admitted to hospital after her release.
The interpreter was also resolute, speaking calmly to friends of theagents who called from Australia while he was held hostage.
Another passenger Rhiannon Dunkley, 22, from Cowra, in central NSW,told her friend Sue Wynne, from Sydney, that the hijacker had ranted inthe bus.
"He was pacing up and down. And they couldn't understand what he wassaying, but they knew from the look on the interpreter's face thatsomething was wrong," Ms Wynne said.
After hours of unsuccessful talks, police snipers shot dead Xiaafter agreeing to let him change buses and drive to the airport.
The bomber had got on the first bus as it drove towards Xian airport for a flight to Shanghai.
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith said the hostages suffered more from the "shock of being in such a terrible situation".
Mr Smith said the attack seemed random and a motive was unknown.
"There is no indication this was particularly aimed at Australia or Australians," he said. Latest Comments: [indent] Chrisof Carnegie, you are right~ the hijacker is most likely not Muslim ornot Uyghur~ He has a typical "HAN" name and Han is about 80% of thepopulation. There are 56 nations of peoples in China.The people who took out this criminal were " the armed police" ~ a paramilitary group, not the PSB ( Public Security Bureau) though the PSBwould have been deeply involved in the resolution tactics planning.
Posted by: [b]philip of China[/b] 7:36pm March 07, 2008 [/indent] [indent] Chrisof Carnegie the hostage taker was a Xian local as mentioned in allreports and by his name. This incident is though being reported in theEnglish papers here but if this same thing had of happened in Australiaor anywhere else to a bunch of Chinese Tourists the Chinese Governmentwould be jumping up and down. Public Security in China is judged byofficials in China by how they feel on the day, the issue that Chrisraised there is no free send off for non Chinese living in China. Justask the Englishman who recently spent 20 days in a Chinese jail for notpaying a prostitute the sum that she thought was required after anagreed transaction.Also ask the other Foreign Nationals who sit in jails here a great dealfor relatively minor offences.
Posted by: [b]Johnny Parker of [/b] 5:43pm March 07, 2008 [/indent] [indent] ToSean of post1: From the name of the that bomber he is certainly notUyghur, not even a Muslim probably.To Jamie of post2: If you stay in your normal way of doing business ortouring, the government will only shoot at your enemies. Even if youpreach your religion or political views, the worst you get is a freesend-off to home country.By the way, Chinese government maybe corrupt and inefficient in manyways, but in the respect of public security, it is top class dated back5000 years ago.
Posted by: [b]Chris of Carnegie[/b] 4:15pm March 07, 2008 [/indent] [indent] Ifanyone was wondering about the Chinese government and policing system,take a look at how they dealt with this guy - sniper takes him out,first clear shot. Don't expect any great amounts information orenquiries to follow. As usual, the Chinese Government will sweep thisone under the carpet and move on. If you applaud this sort of action,don't expect any help if it goes against you in China...
Posted by: [b]Jamie Thomas of Ballarat[/b] 2:24pm March 07, 2008 [/indent]
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