A different kind of captivity

STANSTED, FEB. 11. Fresh from their 97-hour ordeal aboard a hijacked Afghan airliner, dozens of freed hostages enjoyed a different kind of captivity yesterday - the luxury of a four-star hotel.

Brought from a maintenance garage where they had been held since their pre-dawn release to register with police, the Afghan nationals were taken to the Hilton hotel near Stansted airport and ushered by police through a discreet side entrance.

With bemused looks on their faces, they arrived in small groups in minibuses at their new temporary home, some children waving at press photographers while their mothers shielded their faces behind their flowing robes. However, for some the promise of luxury was short-lived, when a coachload of new arrivals was taken to an unspecified location away from the airport. Hotel officials declined to say how many of the ex-hostages, 74 of whom applied for political asylum to avoid returning to Afghanistan, were staying in the Hilton or what they were doing to pass the time.

- Reuters

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Section  : International
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