31 March 1981

Commandos storm hijacked Garuda jet

A three-day hostage crisis ended in a fierce shootout that left three hijackers dead after military commandos regained control of a hijacked plane at Don Mueang Airport.

The ordeal began on March 28 when five Indonesians hijacked a domestic Garuda Indonesia flight with 54 passengers and nine crew on board and forced the pilot to land in Bangkok. The hijackers, armed with grenades and guns, threatened to blow up the plane unless the Indonesian government released 20 political prisoners and supplied them with a DC-10 aircraft to fly to Sri Lanka.

After two days, the hijackers raised their demands to 84 freed prisoners, $1.5 million and a plane to Sri Lanka. Indonesian President Suharto originally agreed to their demands, with the Indonesian ambassador to Thailand explaining that ‘these hijackers are very short-tempered, ambitious and impatient. They have warned the Thai authorities not to play tricks on them.’

But before the exchange could be made, more than 100 Thai and Indonesian commandos stormed the plane, overcoming the hijackers in just eight minutes. Three hijackers were killed and two were captured. One child was killed and 10 other hostages wounded in the operation. The hijackers identified themselves only as ‘soldiers in a holy Muslim war’.

31 March 1981

Commandos storm hijacked Garuda jet

A three-day hostage crisis ended in a fierce shootout that left three hijackers dead after military commandos regained control of a hijacked plane at Don Mueang Airport.

The ordeal began on March 28 when five Indonesians hijacked a domestic Garuda Indonesia flight with 54 passengers and nine crew on board and forced the pilot to land in Bangkok. The hijackers, armed with grenades and guns, threatened to blow up the plane unless the Indonesian government released 20 political prisoners and supplied them with a DC-10 aircraft to fly to Sri Lanka.

After two days, the hijackers raised their demands to 84 freed prisoners, $1.5 million and a plane to Sri Lanka. Indonesian President Suharto originally agreed to their demands, with the Indonesian ambassador to Thailand explaining that ‘these hijackers are very short-tempered, ambitious and impatient. They have warned the Thai authorities not to play tricks on them.’

But before the exchange could be made, more than 100 Thai and Indonesian commandos stormed the plane, overcoming the hijackers in just eight minutes. Three hijackers were killed and two were captured. One child was killed and 10 other hostages wounded in the operation. The hijackers identified themselves only as ‘soldiers in a holy Muslim war’.