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Peru, Japan relieved by hostage rescue
Latest developments:
- Japan PM, initially upset, now praises Peru
- 14 rebels, 3 others die
- Rebel spokesman vows revenge
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April 23, 1997
Web posted at: 12:17 p.m. EDT (1617 GMT)(CNN) -- An eerie calm and a sense of relief hung over the Japanese ambassador's residence in Lima, Peru, on Wednesday, the morning after the stunning end to a four month hostage siege.
The compound remained sealed off and heavily guarded as Peruvian troops and firefighters scanned the area for explosives and booby-traps set by the Tupac Amaru rebels during their standoff with the government. It could be at least a couple of days before non-security personnel can get into the residence.
Japan PM, initially upset, now praises Peru
In Japan, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto -- who was caught unaware of Peru's attack to end the crisis -- thanked President Alberto Fujimori on Wednesday for taking the gamble."I told President Fujimori that if I had been in his position I would have done the same," Hashimoto told a news conference after speaking to the Peruvian president by telephone.
At an earlier news conference, a clearly irritated and abruptly awoken Hashimoto expressed his regret at the lack of advanced warning of the operation. Japan had been urging a peaceful end to the crisis, which began on December 17.
The assault by Peruvian police and soldiers started at around 5:23 a.m. Japan time on Wednesday (2023 GMT Tuesday) and was covered live by Japanese television stations.
Hashimoto later said Fujimori had told him that Lima could not have given advance warning due to the "delicate situation."
"It is not important whether we had prior knowledge of the move. The important thing is that the hostages were freed," the Japanese leader said.
His praise for Peru's actions were echoed by relatives of the hostages and by Japanese who watched the raid replayed all day on television.
Morimichi Aoki, the son of freed Japanese ambassador Morihisa Aoki , said he was looking forward to having a drink with his father. "I'm relieved. I was happy to find out my father was rescued," he said.
The newly freed ambassador was also ecstatic. "I never expected President Fujimori to give me such a present on my wedding anniversary!" he said.
14 rebels, 3 others die
All 24 Japanese nationals who had been held at the residence were among the 71 hostages rescued.
All 14 rebels were killed, Fujimori said, including the group's leader, Nestor Cerpa, and at least two teen-age girls. The bodies of the rebels were being removed from the residence Wednesday morning. Two Peruvian soldiers and a hostage also were killed.
Peruvian Supreme Court Justice Carlos Giusti apparently died of a heart attack after he was shot during the daytime assault, Fujimori said. It was unclear who fired at him. A wake was being held Wednesday for Giusti.
Fujimori said 25 other captives were injured in the gunfire and explosions that rocked the compound. Two had serious injuries: Peru's foreign minister, Francisco Tudela, and another Supreme Court justice. Tudela was reported to be in good condition Wednesday with a gunshot wound to the leg.
Japan Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda was due to leave Tokyo for Lima on Wednesday evening to conduct a probe of the entire affair, reopen the Japanese embassy and hold talks with Peruvian authorities.
Rebel spokesman vows revenge
Peruvian forces struck during daylight on the 126th day of the hostage crisis, as rebel leaders kicked around a soccer ball in the reception hall of the ambassador's residence.
In a veiled threat, rebel spokesman Isaac Velazco condemned the military action from his office in Hamburg, Germany. The "blood spilled will never be forgotten, and sooner or later, justice will be done in Peru," he said.
But the future of the tiny guerrilla band was in doubt after the raid. The group has little more than 100 fighters and most of its leaders are now either dead or in jail.
Tokyo Bureau Chief John Lewis, Miami Bureau Chief John Zarrella, Reporter Harris Whitbeck and Reuters contributed to this report.
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