China

8 HK tourists killed in Manila

By Manny Mogato and Zhang Chunyan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-24 10:46

Police commandos storm the bus in which 15 Hong Kong tourists were being held hostage in downtown Manila on Monday. Bullit Marquez / Associated Press

Gunman shot after 11-hour bus standoff; two seriously injured

MANILA - Philippine police shot and killed a sacked former policeman who was holding 15 Hong Kong tourists hostage aboard a bus in downtown Manila on Monday. But the Chinese embassy said seven hostages had been killed, after TV images showed some hostages leaving the vehicle alive.

In Hong Kong, Chief Executive Donald Tsang called it a "major tragedy", and expressed disappointment with the handling of the incident by Filipino authorities.

"The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, I find is disappointing," said Tsang.

The HK government also said it has issued the highest level travel alert for the Philippines, indicating a "severe threat" exists and all travel to the nation should be avoided.

The gunman, identified as 55-year-old former police captain Rolando Mendoza, was armed with an M-16 assault rifle.

He was allegedly sacked from the Manila police over robbery and drug claims and during the hostage crisis he demanded his former job back.

The bus, which initially had 25 people on board, was parked across lanes on a wide road near Manila's biggest park.

"The hostage-taker was killed. He chose to shoot it out with our men," police Colonel Nelson Yabut told reporters.

"On our first assault, Mendoza was sprawled in the middle of the aisle and shot one of our operatives. On our second assault we killed him."

Police could be seen removing a body from the front of the bus before entering the vehicle. The Red Cross said at least five hostages left the bus alive, but TV images also showed more bodies being removed.

"Seven Hong Kong citizens were killed in the incident," Sun Yi, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Manila, told China Daily. He said two were hurt seriously and six suffered slight injuries.

The end of the 11-hour drama came more than an hour after police commandos had moved in to break windows and surround the bus following a series of shots. The driver of the bus was seen running to safety after the first flurry of gunshots.

The crisis began Monday morning when the hostage-taker asked the tour guide for a free bus ride at 10 am, Susanna Lau Mei-sze, general manager of Hong Thai Travel Services Ltd, told Hong Kong media.

After the guide refused, Mendoza forced his way onto the bus and declared he was taking the passengers hostage and asked the driver to lock the door, Lau said.

"This is an unexpected hijacking incident, not aimed at Chinese people," Wang Xiaobo, Chinese consul to the Philippines, told China Daily.

He said officials at the Chinese embassy arrived at the scene immediately after the crisis began and asked the Philippine police to ensure the safety of the hostages.

"At about 10:30 am we received information about the hijacking. The tour leader called Hong Kong secretly from the back of the bus and reported to us. He spoke only a few words and hanged up the phone," Lau said.

Live television footage

An injured hostage is carried out through the smashed window of the bus after police shot and killed a sacked former policeman who was holding Hong Kong tourists aboard. Jay Directo / AFO

showed the bus parked in front of a grandstand at Rizal Park, a popular tourist destination a few blocks from police headquarters.

The tour group consisted of 20 Hong Kong tourists - three children and 17 adults - and a Hong Kong tour guide, as well as four Philippine tour employees.

A 66-year-old woman accompanied by a tour guide left the bus first, and was replaced by two local photographers as hostages. Three children and a woman were released later at noon. An elderly man (aged 72) was freed at 1:30 pm and a Filipino was released at 2:45 pm.

Sharpshooters took up position around the bus as negotiators stood just outside, talking into the driver's window.

Mendoza insisted that police authorities clear his name and said he wanted his job back.

He originally set a deadline for 3 pm and then postponed it to 3:30 pm and demanded to talk to reporters.

At 4:30 pm, Mendoza released another local man.

Mendoza's brother, Gregorio, who was also on site to help negotiations, told a local TV station his brother was upset by his dismissal from the force. Mendoza was honoured by police chiefs in 1986 as one of the top 10 officers in the country.

According to newspaper reports from 2008, Mendoza was among five officers charged with robbery, extortion and issuing threats after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to blackmail him.

"We have formed a special task force within the Security Bureau to deal with the matter," Ambrose Lee, Secretary for Security at the Security Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR, told the media in Hong Kong.

The four-day tour group left Hong Kong for Manila on August 20 and were scheduled to catch flight CX802 on Monday night and arrive in Hong Kong at 9:55 pm, Lau said.

She said that the agency had contacted the families of the tourists.

Zhang Chunyan reported from Beijing. Dong Jidong, Zhou Wa in Beijing, Guo Jiaxue in Hong Kong contributed to this story.

Reuters and China Daily