9 Hong Kong tourist dead in Manila hostage shootout

HK tourists likely to be killed by hijacker's bullets: Police
Posted: 27 August 2010 1208 hrs

MANILA: The bullets that killed eight Hong Kong tourists in a Manila siege likely all came from the hijacker holding them captive and not from the police rescue team, a police spokesman said.

"We can say that with a certain degree of certainty," Philippine national police spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz told reporters when asked if the bullets that killed the tourists came from the hijacker's weapons.

Cruz said the initial finding was based on witness accounts and testimony from the police involved in ending Monday's hostage crisis, as well as the number of bullets found on the bus.

However, in his briefing to the press on Thursday, he said the police investigation was still ongoing and that final conclusions had not yet been made.

Ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza held a busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage in a desperate bid to have himself cleared of extortion charges and get his job back.

After a standoff of about 10 hours, a police SWAT team assaulted the bus but its members were held at bay by Mendoza who police said used the hostages as human shields.

-AFP/wk

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Hong Kong orders autopsies for Manila hijack victims
Posted: 26 August 2010 2336 hrs

HONG KONG : Hong Kong may launch an official inquiry into the Manila bus hijacking after the city's coroner ordered autopsies for all eight victims of the bloody standoff, its security chief said Thursday.

Ambrose Lee said post-mortem examinations were ordered amid questions over whether the slain Hong Kong tourists were killed by bullets fired by the hostage-taker or police during their bungled rescue operation on Monday.

"The coroner ordered that an autopsy be done -- we'll have our own autopsies," Hong Kong's secretary for security told lawmakers at a specially convened meeting.

"The coroner will then decide whether a death inquiry will be held."

Autopsies conducted in the Philippines on five of the victims showed they died from gunshots mostly to the head and neck, while Philippine police carried out ballistic tests to determine if commandos fired any of the fatal bullets.

Hong Kong lawmakers Thursday debated a proposed motion demanding that the Philippine government apologise and pay compensation to the victims' families, amid fury in the southern Chinese city at the way the crisis was handled.

Earlier, Lee said: "We will urge the Philippine authorities to conduct a thorough, just and transparent investigation and we want the report to be ready as soon as possible".

Reports said a high-level Filipino delegation would brief the Chinese government on Thursday before heading to Hong Kong, but officials in Beijing, Manila and Hong Kong said the timing of the visit was yet to be determined.

Hong Kong observed a mournful silence Thursday morning, after the victims' bodies were returned home.

The city held three minutes of silence with flags lowered to half-mast at a special ceremony overseen by chief executive Donald Tsang and a large crowd of black-clad people on the harbour waterfront.

A tearful woman at the ceremony said she wanted to take care of two children aged 15 and 12 whose parents were killed in the day-long hostage siege after an ex-policeman boarded their tourist bus.

"My heart hurts. I hope the pain they feel will fade soon. I am willing to be the mother of the two orphans," the woman, who did not identify herself, told the Cable News broadcaster.

Hong Kong leader Tsang said: "We can't help but ask why human nature is so ugly? In the eyes of the gunman, apart from his personal interests, had he thought about others?"

Staff from travel agency Hong Thai lowered their heads to mourn Masa Tse, the 31-year-old tour guide who was praised for alerting his Hong Kong office to the hijacking by cellphone from the back of the tour bus.

Emotions are running high in Hong Kong over blunders by Philippine police in the chaotic climax to Monday's events, when the disgraced former policeman held a group of Hong Kong tourists hostage for 12 hours.

The victims were aged from 14 to 58.

Internet sites such as Facebook are awash with public anger against the Philippine authorities.

There are as many as 200,000 Filipinos living in Hong Kong, the vast majority of them working as maids, and union leaders have reported reprisals against the community by Hong Kong employers incensed at the hijacking.

The bodies of the eight killed -- including Ken Leung and his two daughters -- were on Wednesday night flown back to Hong Kong, with bagpipers playing "Amazing Grace" at a poignant airport ceremony.

Leung's wife Amy Ng stayed behind as their 18-year-old son Jason fights for his life in intensive care with serious head injuries. Both returned to Hong Kong on a medical charter flight Thursday evening, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The tragedy unfolded live on television, allowing viewers around the world to watch as ill-prepared police commandos failed in attempts to storm the bus before the tourists, and the gunman, died in a hail of bullets.

Philippine authorities have suspended four police officers and one is on leave as an investigation proceeds into key mistakes made in the protracted standoff.

- AFP /ls

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AssassinsMace said:

Apparently Jackie Chan is getting heat for being the cool head. I'll say I have to agree with Jackie on some of the stuff he's saying. Yes it's tragic and sad for the victim's families but outraged Hong Kong on the treatment of tourists? When it comes to their Mainland "hillbilly" cousins, what makes Hong Kong any different when it comes to horrid treatment? I'm not talking about the guy taking hostages and killing people. I'm talking about the outrage from Hong Kong being seen in regards to the callous attitude coming from the Philippines about the treatment and safety of their tourists. It was just exposed that Hong Kong tour operators routinely intimidate and force their "poor" backward mainland cousins that visit as tourists to spend money at stores. Ironic that since tourism from the West has dried up they've been saved by the mainland tourism that they use to and still despise but grudgingly accept. I've read that Hong Kong still allows nightclubs that only allow Western expatriates and tourists and their invited guests (meaning Chinese women) in. A legacy of colonial times still alive and well.

When I first heard about this event in Manila I had the same reaction when hearing about those three Americans captured by Iran after hiking along the Iraq/Iran border. "What the hell were they doing there in the first place?" Since when has the Philippines been a tourist destination? I know if the Philippines got their act together, they would probably be a global tourist hotspot. But the stories of crime and corruption over there... why? I had a friend who is caucasion go to the Philippines on vacation once. He told me it was the most unsafe feeling he's had than in any other country he's been to. He was the only foreigner outside the airport he saw and felt everyone else on the streets see that too. He had to hire a policeman to guard him while he was there in Manila.

Let's hope the elitist Hong Kong reflects. Given their track record... probably not. Can you imagine if they were instead tourists from the Mainland? They would probably be blaming the victims based on stereotypes they perpetuate too of bad behavior given to Mainland Chinese tourists.

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rhino123 said:

I don't think any sovereign country would allow another country to send their special forces and mendle with their affair.

I know that everyone is quite angry at this moment when it come to this particular hostage taking scenario and how useless the police of Philippines react.

But first and foremost, we must also recognised that Philippines is a sovereign country, so I highly doubt that they would allow a third country forces to be deployed within their country. Of course we could force our way in if we wanted, but do we really want that? I mean, lets put CHina in Philipines shoes... if US hostages are slaughtered in Chinese land and US demanded that they would sent in their special forces on Chinese land, do you think CHinese government will agreed to that? (same example as what another forumer had pointed out).

My opinion is that international community should pressured the Philippines to upgrade their police forces, sent them overseas to friendly nations for training and buy better equipments for these forces. After all it is not like they are going to buy better equipments for the entire force, which they might not be able to afford, but a couple of thousands assault rifles, bullet proof vest, MP5 or other submachine guns should be within budget.

After Monday's hostage taking scenario, it is widely reported that normal Filipino people are also quite shock at the incapability of their police and was actually very upset.

My initial outburst was directed mainly at the polices forces, their way of handling the case. Then it was at those insensitive people out there and finally the media that blew everything.



Good one there.

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noone536 said:

the reall question come to place wheter the chinese is capable to deploy their speacil force in such a short notice and to land in another country

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solarz said:

I just watched that animation, and the suicidal charge by the father was pretty moving. What do you guys think YOU would've done if you were one of the hostages on that bus? Do you think the hostages could have overpowered the man if they worked together?

Maybe if one of them were armed...

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AssassinsMace said:

The people behind those animations are known to "fill-in the blanks." I wouldn't rely on them on what happened especially since media reports have things that are questionable.

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aquauant said:

Please enlighten me what un-elitist people would do. Dont make a big fuss because we all have done something bad to others in the past and it is just karma?

By your logic, I guess all victims, the jews/chinese/others in WW2, 911 victims, racial riots, ... brought it upon themselves.

What is the big deal of few HKers died in hostage crisis when there are many chinese died in earthquake and flood. And, what is the big deal a few hundred thousands of Chinese died in earthquake when millions Jews and Gypsy died in holocaust in WW2. What is the big deal of a few millions died in holocaust when mankind was almost wiped out in the last iceage.

Take a hike, jackie chan.

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