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HK tourists organised by Hong Tai Travel held hostage in Manila, 8 killed

Update:24 Aug 2010
HK tourists organised by Hong Tai Travel were held hostage in Manila, 8 killed, 7 injured
 
Eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and seven were injured, with one listed in critical condition, in a 10-hour hostage standoff in the Philippines' capital Monday, officials in Manila said late last night.

The ordeal began around 9 am on a tour bus operated by Hong Tai Travel. A company spokesman, surnamed Fong, told the Global Times that the four-day holiday ended when a dismissed Manila policeman used a high-powered rifle to hijack the bus, which was carrying 24 people - 20 Hong Kong tourists aged 4 to 72, one Hong Kong guide, two Filipino guides and the bus driver.

The hostage-taker was shot dead by police after opening fire on the hostages.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said he was extremely sad and disappointed over the tragedy and the loss of lives of Hong Kong residents, expressing anger over the "cold-blooded" killings.

He said his government would do whatever it could to assist the families involved, and his spokesman, Andy Ho, said that included the arranging of Cathay Pacific flights for family members, the first of which left at midnight and another was scheduled to depart this morning at 8.

The deputy security minister, government officials from the security bureau, psychologists, doctors and police and immigration officials were all aboard the flight last night.

A long day

The gunman got on the bus and "declared he was taking the passengers hostage" with an M16 assault rifle at Rizal Park, where the Hong Kong tourists had just finished sightseeing and boarded the bus, the travel agency's spokesman told the Global Times.

The hostage-taker, 55-year-old gunman Rolando Mendoza, identified as a former senior inspector, was demanding he be given back his job on the police force a year after he was fired, Manila Police Chief Rodolfo Magtibay told media.

For most of the day, the gunman had appeared to be negotiating calmly with police. During the period, he released nine of the hostages, including three children, an elderly man and two Filipinos, before the situation deteriorated, according to RTHK, a Hong Kong-based radio station.
The bus driver, a Filipino, was later seen escaping the storytour bus after freeing himself from handcuffs that the gunman had put on him.

The end of the hostage drama came more than an hour after the Philippine police stormed the hijacked bus, kill-ing the gunman by shooting him in the head.

The hostage-taker, who was once named as a "Top 10 Police Officer" in the Philippines, demanded that he be given back his job on the police force one year after he was fired due to accusations of extortion and grave threats, after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policeman falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money.

Negotiators, including the gunman's brother, Gregorio, who is also a policeman, were sent to talk with the man, according to the Philippine Star, a local newspaper.

"He was disappointed that he did well in police service but was dismissed for a crime he did not do," Gregorio said.

The Chinese embassy in Manila urged the Philippine government to ensure the safety and security of the Chinese nationals who survived the tragedy.

"We request that the Philippine side try its best to make sure that the injured or those who survived the hostage situation are taken care of," Chinese embassy in Manila spokesman Ethan Sun told the Manila Bulletin.

Families of victims who had Hong Thai Travel insurance will receive HK$ 800,000 ($102,896) compensation, and those without insurance will be compensated HK$ 300,000, according to Commercial Radio of Hong Kong.

Regional flags of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region were being flown at half staff to mourn victims killed in the hostage, Chief Executive Tsang said.

Hong Kong also Monday announced a "black travel alert" to the Philippines and urged travel agencies to cancel tours to the Philippines.

According to Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA), a risk consultancy firm, cases of kidnapping in the Philippines rose to 138 in 2009 - the highest figure since 1995.

"A struggling economy and high unemployment rate due to the global financial crisis have contributed to the surge in kidnapping in the Philippines," PSA said.
 
SOURCE: Global Times
Comments List
markbparago:rnrnHow could you even say that, you cold bloodedrnanimal. People are dying and racism is all yourrnpea-sized brain could churn out. Shut up and get arnlife.
Global citizen  2010-11-30
We should not blame anybody for this but onernman-the hostage taker-are you guys nuts?who bringsrnillegal drugs in the country but thesernchinese/hongkong nationals, and who do you thinkrnis the richest man in the country? is he arnfilipino or chinese? who made them that rich? whatrndo you think,Filipino idiots?
markbparago  2010-09-13
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