7 Chinese tourists killed by Flipino gunman

[Chinese-Dragon]

Hongkong already declared travel bans. I'm sure rest of China will soon follow.

There are a LOT of Philipino workers in Hong Kong, I hope the travel bans will not cause any problems...

 

[siegecrossbow]

There are a LOT of Philipino workers in Hong Kong, I hope the travel bans will not cause any problems...

Well perhaps the ban wouldn't be placed against non-Chinese? Anyhow the Philippine police did a terrible job this time around. Is it possible that they went easy on the hostage taker simply because he used to be one of them?

 

[CardSharp]

Well perhaps the ban wouldn't be placed against non-Chinese? Anyhow the Philippine police did a terrible job this time around. Is it possible that they went easy on the hostage taker simply because he used to be one of them?

No that was not the problem. It was because they were ill-trained and stupid. They went in with some vague ideas about smashing the windows and storming the bus, but it was obvious none of them had run the drill before and they hesitated. When troops in combat don't have a clear idea of what they should do, they tend to dither and act cowardly, as was the case this time.

 

[Luftwaffe]

As long as americans are dictating and practically running the philippines government along with corrupt filipino officials phillipines and its poor people will suffer, americans have literally bankrupt phillipines. I blame corrupt officials no plans and americans.

 

[siegecrossbow]

As long as americans are dictating and practically running the philippines government along with corrupt filipino officials phillipines and its poor people will suffer, americans have literally bankrupt phillipines. I blame corrupt officials no plans and americans.

The Philippines would be one of the democratic examples that the Americans are not too proud of. Marcos was pretty much the face of political corruption in the not so distant past.

 

[CardSharp]

As long as americans are dictating and practically running the philippines government along with corrupt filipino officials phillipines and its poor people will suffer, americans have literally bankrupt phillipines. I blame corrupt officials no plans and americans.

I just watched President Aquino's speech. I was pretty disgusted by his nonchalance and we-did-everything-we-could bullshit.

 

[Brotherhood]

Hijacker guns down 10 HK tourists in Manila - People's Daily Online August 24, 2010

A hijacker killed ten Hong Kong tourists and wounded another seven in a 10-hour hostage-taking ordeal and eventual shootout in the Philippines’s capital Manila, officials said Monday night.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said he was weary of the authorities' handling of the siege, the violent final stages of which were beamed live by global news channels, according to local reports.

The gunman, identified as 55-year-old ex-police captain Rolando Mendoza who was armed with an M-16 assault rifle, had stopped the bus, which initially had 25 people on board, on a wide road in Manila's biggest park in the morning.

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

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

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 eight.

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

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, killing the gunman by shooting him in the head.

Source: People's Daily Online / Agencies

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

I just watched President Aquino's speech. I was pretty disgusted by his nonchalance and we-did-everything-we-could bullshit.

Same here. And why was President Aquino smiling so much??

Note: The sound quality on this video is not very good.

 

[Brotherhood]

China demands investigation of Manila hostage-taking incident: FM - People's Daily Online August 24, 2010

Photo taken on Aug. 23, 2010 shows citizens in Hong Kong, south China, watch TV news concerning the tourist bus hijacked in Manila, capital of the Philippines. Hong Kong is dispatching a chartered plane to carry family members of the 21 Hong Kong tourists involved in the abduction tragedy to Manila. Seven Hong Kong tourists were killed after a dismissed policeman hijacked a tourist bus Monday, local police officials said. (Xinhua/Lo Ping Fai)

The Chinese government Monday strongly condemned the hostage-taking of Chinese tourists by a former police officer in Manila and demanded the Philippine government thoroughly investigate the incident.

A bus with 21 Hong Kong tourists aboard was hijacked in the Philippine capital of Manila Monday morning. After negotiations, six hostages were freed. On Monday night, Philippine police launched a rescue operation and a number of hostages were killed and injured.

In a press release, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi had telephoned his Philippine counterpart Alberto Romulo on the hostage-taking incident.

During the conversation, Yang said the Chinese government had been highly concerned over the incident and had asked the Philippine government to spare no efforts in carrying out the rescue operation under the prerequisite of guaranteeing the safety of hostages.

Yang said that the Chinese government was shocked about the incident, deplored the slaying of Hong Kong tourists, and strongly condemned the brutality against innocent tourists.

The Chinese government demands the Philippine government launch a thorough investigation into the incident and inform the Chinese side of related details as soon as possible, he said.

The Chinese government also demands the Philippine government do all it can to save the injured hostages and properly handle the remaining problems of the incident, Yang said.

Policemen secure the site after a hostage-taker opened fire from inside a tourist bus full of Hong Kong tourists during a hostage crisis in Manila Aug. 23, 2010. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

The Chinese government will soon dispatch a working team to the Philippines to deal with relevant matters, he said, adding that the Chinese government demands the Philippine government take practical measures to protect the safety of Chinese citizens and their properties.

For his part, Romulo said the Philippine government felt deep sorrow for the incident and would do what it can to treat the injured.

He promised to carry out a complete investigation into the incident and convey the results to the Chinese side as soon as possible.

He also promised to provide assistance for the work of China's working team.

The two sides agreed to keep close communication and cooperation in handling the aftermath of the incident.

Source: Xinhua

An injured victim is carried into an ambulance after a hostage-taker opened fired from inside a tourist bus full of Hong Kong tourists during a hostage crisis in Manila Aug. 23, 2010. (Xinhua/Rouelle Umali)

Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang (R) attends the press conference in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, south China, Aug. 23, 2010. Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Monday night that seven Hong Kong tourists were killed and another eight injured, with two in serious conditions, in the abduction tragedy in the Philippines. (Xinhua/Li Qiuchan)

 

[friendly_troll96]

That's a very sad incident!
RIP.

 

[Hafizzz]

As long as americans are dictating and practically running the philippines government along with corrupt filipino officials phillipines and its poor people will suffer, americans have literally bankrupt phillipines. I blame corrupt officials no plans and americans.

The killer used an American weapon (M16 rifle) :

Dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza, 55, was armed with a M16 rifle and a pistol when he seized the busload of 21 Hong Kong tourists and four locals to demand his reinstatement on the force.

China wants answers after 9 killed on hijacked bus | ajc.com

China should warn USA about the weapon used by the gun man just like whenever a US soldier gets killed by a non-US weapon the US government will scold the country which produced the weapon.

 

[lcloo]

Hong Kong government has issued black warning for travelling to Phillipines, they did not ban any travel. However, in view of the black warning, Hong Kong travel agencies might cancel their planned tours to Phillipines.

Meanwhile Hong Kong is flying half flag to moarn the victims.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Hong Kong government has issued black warning for travelling to Phillipines, they did not ban any travel. However, in view of the black warning, Hong Kong travel agencies might cancel their planned tours to Phillipines.

Meanwhile Hong Kong is flying half flag to moarn the victims.

In my opinion both Hong Kong and the main land should at least ban Chinese citizens from travelling to the Philippines just as a protest. Maybe the Filippino government/police will behave competently once their tourism industry starts suffering.

 

[Hafizzz]

Did racism play a role in the hostage killing ?

The gunman is believed to have released two Filipino tour operators for the reason they were locals and during the 11-hour siege frequently referred to the hostages as ''Chinese''.

kidnappings that often target Sino-Filipinos and Chinese nationals, high crime rates, falling educational standards, sub-standard infrastructure and pervasive corruption.

The killing of Chinese tourists and Hong Kong's sharp critique of Aquino's perceived poor handling of the crisis crucially comes at a time China is looking to expand its investments in Southeast Asia. The Philippines was arguably already at a regional disadvantage, considering how frequently Sino-Filipinos and Chinese nationals are targeted by the country's increasingly active kidnapping-for-ransom rings.

Asia Times Online :: Southeast Asia news and business from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

^^^ Yes, it's quite common for Chinese people to be "targeted" by kidnappers in the Philippines (this happens in places like Nigeria too).

But I don't think the hostage situation in Manila had anything to do with racism.

He just wanted international attention, so he kidnapped tourists.