Initial Manila Police Cover-up...exposed!

[ Photo source: Reuters, S Times online news ]

The news report below is from CNA online news.

Asia Pacific News

Posted: 09 September 2010 1445 hrs
Philippines admits police may have shot some tourists

MANILA:

Philippine investigators admitted for the first time Thursday that police may have shot some of the tourists in a bungled operation that left eight Hong Kong residents dead on a bus in Manila. President Benigno Aquino said he expects to get the investigators' final report into the hostage incident on September 15, and pledged to fire officials found to have failed in their duties or file criminal charges against them.

"Our government is now focused on taking the necessary steps to prevent this tragedy from ever happening again," he said in a live interview on national television.

"Let me just say that this incident will not define this administration."

Armed with an assault rifle and a pistol, sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza took a busload of tourists hostage on August 23 in a desperate bid to clear himself of extortion charges and get his old job back. Eight of the tourists were killed and seven others were injured in the central Manila standoff.

Police initially insisted the bullets that killed the tourists were all fired from Mendoza's guns. Other bullets were fired into the bus by police snipers and an assault unit but they did not lead to fatalities, they had said.

But Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Thursday: "There is a big possibility that there (was) friendly fire." De Lima, head of an official inquiry, also said the forensic reports on some of the slain victims did not match the account of the driver of the tourist bus, who had told investigators the gunman shot the tourists at close range.

"What is crucial, occupying our minds, is if the shots were made at close range, (these) are not consistent with forensic findings," she added.

The entry points of these wounds did not exhibit burn marks caused by the muzzle of a gun that was fired close by, she added.

Asked whether at least some of the victims could have been killed by "friendly fire," de Lima said: "We are not focusing (on that), but we should never miss that. Otherwise our report will be less than thorough."

The panel has asked the Hong Kong police to help with the ballistics aspect of the investigation, she added. "Where did the shots come from, the hostage-taker, the assault team, or other teams? We doubt they all came from snipers and assault teams," said de Lima.

Ballistics experts say some of the bullets that hit the bus were fired from a distance further than the location of the snipers, raising the possibility that other units deployed in the area could have fired into the bus, she said.

Aquino has taken responsibility for the fiasco that has chilled ties with Hong Kong and damaged the Philippine tourism industry. He vowed Thursday to form an elite force, based on Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) to deal with similar hostage incidents in the future.

"We will copy to a degree the formation of that national unit," which would be made up of between 200 and 400 soldiers and police capable of responding to any threat in any part of the country, he said.

Aquino said de Lima's report will serve as the basis for dealing with police and government officials who handled the Hong Kong tourist bus hostage crisis. This could include possible criminal cases, he added. The president said he has asked the former Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay, who went on leave amid criticism of his role as ground commander during the hostage crisis, to file for an early retirement.

- AFP/fa

Unk Dicko's Comments:

Why did the bus driver give a completely FALSE account of the shooting inside the bus?

He has been giving conflicting stories ( NOT EVIDENCE ) to investigators. He claimed to have seen Mendoza shoot dead all the hostages. But he was allowed to "escape" before the main shooting began, so how could he have witnessed what he never saw.

Unk Dicko has his suspicions about this driver and the conniving, bungling police.

They may have threatened this driver on pain of death to lie for the sole purpose of covering

their dirty backsides. The driver was held in police custody so obviously they had much time to

use their cowboy methods on him.

In my earlier posts, I had described the police as "cowboys". In the light of this latest report,

especially the highlighted phrases in red, it confirms my initial observations back then.

So the President said he will " copy to a degree" the formation of an SAS.

I don't really think that is very clever. It won't work. What this President is saying is all part of

a knee-jerk reaction...hoping to reclaim some balance, hope and initiative.

Mere copying is dangerous and foolish.

What the Philippines really need is a COMPLETE REVAMP of their nation's SOUL.

They need to do a deep soul-searching at every level and strata in the country starting with their

Cabinet and cascade it downwards.

They need to come up with a NEW VISION for a NEW P'ppines.

Get everyone involved.

When the picture becomes clearer I bet this most shameful National Failure ( hostage fiasco) will not be their Biggest problem. In fact, it might be just a dot on the long list of MORE IMPORTANT things and issues that have plagued them for the last 60 years, at least.

What's the BIGGEST issue that once it is stopped...the country can start recovering?

It's the same BIG issue that is keeping "Abang" country and most other nations from ever

overtaking Singapore....

CORRUPTION !

CORRUPTION !

CORRUPTION !

Tackle this cancerous disease and when the cancer cells die, the body ( the people and nation) will rejuvenate itself and be healthy once again.

MM Lee Kuan Yew told the Russians Paliamentarians the same thing when he was invited there

to share his views on Good Governance.

Have ZERO TOLERANCE for any form of Corruption. No one including the President or ministers will have any special safety net of escape. The LAW decides.

This is what I hope all countries should do.

Manila....At least 4 may have been killed by Police gunfire!

This news article has provided the 1st 'High Level' info that at least 4 of the Hong Kong hostages who died inside the bus were likely killed by Police assault team. In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned that a female survivor had said most of those who died were killed by gunfire coming from outside the bus.

The information in the article below also confirms, almost entirely, my assessment of

the root cause of this totally avoidable tragedy.

Read the shocking answers from those ' High Ranking" people entrusted with the job of taking charge in such situations. I have never been surprised. Are you?

[ Photo source: AFP, S Times online news

showing PNP chief Verzosa ]

The report below is from Asia News Network online.

Manila bus hostage-taking deemed ‘local crisis’
Interior undersecretray admits no training in hostage situations
Nikko Dizon and Marlon Ramos

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Publication Date : 04-09-2010

Government authorities considered the August 23 hostage-taking a “local crisis” even if foreign nationals were involved, and the official in charge of the Philippine National Police was “not capable of handling hostage situations.”

Interior undersecretary Rico E. Puno on Friday (September 3) made these admissions to the fact-finding committee investigating the police rescue operation that left eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker, dismissed cop Rolando Mendoza, dead.

The first day of the three-day marathon hearing, which was aired on live TV, revealed the seeming cavalier attitude of the national and local governments toward the day-long hostage crisis at Quirino Grandstand in Manila, with Puno banking on the strategy of Manila mayor Alfredo Lim to simply exhaust Mendoza and hope he would release all the hostages unharmed.

Justice secretary Leila de Lima chairs the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) tasked by President Benigno Aquino to look into the police assault on the hijacked tour bus that was aired live on TV. Her vice chairman is Puno’s own boss, interior secretary Jesse Robredo, who had said he was left “out of the loop” in the efforts to resolve the crisis because Puno was earlier designated by Aquino to handle police affairs.

Six Hong Kong police officers observed the hearing that began at 9:40am and continued until past 7 pm, with Lim taking the witness stand.
PNP director general Jesus Verzosa and Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay also testified separately for over two hours.
Verzosa admitted that he could have rectified some lapses committed by the police if he were in the area during critical moments in the negotiation.
He said he flew to Cagayan de Oro City on that day to attend an “official function” despite being told four hours earlier that a dismissed policeman was holding captive a busload of Hong Kong tourists.
‘It happened in Manila’

Puno made his admissions while being questioned by IIRC members Herman Basbaño, president of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (broadcasters association), and Roan Libarios, governor of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
Libarios asked Puno:

“Did it not occur to you that the majority of hostages were foreign nationals? Did it not occur to you to assert that the crisis be considered a national crisis that would give jurisdiction to the national crisis committee?”
Said Puno:

“No, sir. ...It happened in Manila, that’s one. The hostage-taker was assigned in Manila, and that was the consideration there. It happened in the jurisdiction of the city of Manila, and the hostage-taker was a former police officer.”

The panel’s questioning of Puno focused primarily on how the national government had handled the hostage-taking that embarrassed the Philippines before the world, and to determine who was in charge as the situation swiftly deteriorated.
Puno said the local crisis committee was constantly in charge but that the national crisis committee, which he headed, was on “standby” in case the situation worsened.

“How significant to you was the element of foreign nationals being held hostage by a police officer?” Libarios asked Puno.

He replied: “It was very significant, but again I reiterate that in (the local crisis committee’s) personal assessment, the hostage took place in Manila and the hostage-taker, a former Manila policeman, was very cooperative.”

“At no point in time from 10 in the morning to 7 in the evening did it ever occur to you to consider the crisis within the dimension of the national crisis committee?” Libarios said.

“No, sir,” Puno said.

Earlier, Basbaño asked Puno if the hostage-taking were considered simply an “ordinary crisis”.
Puno described the incident as “a local hostage-taking situation” that could be handled by the police district director and the city mayor.

“So you just treated it as local crisis. Did it not enter your minds that it was a PNP official taking hostage some ... foreign nationals and there were indications that it would have [an impact on] the country and everybody?” Basbaño said.
The committee granted Puno’s request to explain behind closed doors why the incident was deemed a “local crisis” only. Verzosa joined the executive session.

‘Cooperative’ hostage-taker
Libarios pressed on: “So, the primary consideration in the determination of level of response is the identity of the perpetrator? You did not consider the identity of the potential victims of the crisis situation, which could change the magnitude of and the potential government response to the crisis situation?”

Said Puno: “We did not consider that, but the national crisis committee was on standby and we were prepared to take over in case it was elevated to a national crisis. But it was the local crisis committee’s call, and (its) assessment of the hostage-taker was that he was very cooperative.”
He added that the foreign affairs, social welfare and development, tourism, justice, and health departments had been given “instructions” on what to do in case the situation came to be classified as a national crisis.

Even De Lima was baffled by the assessment that the situation was a local crisis.
“The mindset was this was a local incident... Was there any dissenting opinion by anyone, whether by members of the local crisis committee or the national crisis committee, which was on standby?” she said.

“Our assessment was that he was a very cooperative hostage-taker, releasing eight or nine hostages (earlier),” Puno said.

Incapable, Inexperienced
Puno admitted that he was not trained to handle hostage situations. But he took responsibility for the bungled rescue operation.
“I am not capable of handling hostage situations, I am not trained to do that. I do not have the experience to handle hostage negotiations,” Puno said.
He agreed with De Lima when she wondered whether this was the reason he “left the negotiators to do their own thing”.

Puno, a known shooting buddy of the President, said the latter appointed him interior undersecretary for peace and order on July 5, assigned to supervise Patrol 117, the fire and jail bureaus, Public Safety College, and Philippine Centre for Transnational Crime.
“But I have also verbal instructions from the President to oversee the PNP,” he said.
De Lima asked Puno if it was confirmed that there was “such an order from the President that you will take care or handle the PNP”.
“Especially on the movements and logistical requirements, and to study certain aspects that would be helping in the operations,” he said.
He added that his role was to observe and give support to the police in terms of logistics and manpower.

4 deaths
Libarios questioned Magtibay, the ground commander, on the possible deaths of four of the Hong Kong tourists during the police assault.

He told Magtibay that “based on the rundown of events,” four of the Hong Kong tourists were hit by “gunfire as a result of the assault.”

“Would you consider that (assault) as successful if four died from the assault?” Libarios said.
Magtibay said he could not confirm Libarios’ statement, but said that if that were the case, “(the) SWAT team, I believe, cannot share the blame alone for that.”
“They tried their best and in fact we avoided a worst scenario whereby all the hostages, including the hostage-taker, will die during the assault,” he said.

Libarios said the information that four of the tourists may have perished during the assault “was raised” during the committee’s executive session with Puno and Verzosa.

“I may not have the privilege to discuss in detail how it happened. But in the course of the executive session, it appears that the four may have suffered the tragedy in the course of the assault. Anyway, that would be a matter of a different discussion later on,” Libarios said.

Panel member Teresita Ang-See also asked Magtibay if he abandoned his post during the crucial hours—when a radio reporter was speaking with Mendoza by phone and was “clogging up the line”—to attend a meeting at the command center at the Emerald Restaurant on Roxas Boulevard.
Magtibay said he did not abandon his post.
He said he had followed Lim’s instructions for him to proceed to the restaurant “to continue our discussion” with Puno and Chief Supt. Leocadio Santiago, the chief of the National Capital Region Police Office.

PNP chief’s absence
Verzosa was questioned by the committee on his absence and his decision to let Manila Police District (MPD) officials handle the situation.
De Lima asked Verzosa if he had the authority to make replacements after the hostage-taker expressed disgust over the chief negotiator, Supt. Orlando Yebra.

“When it is extremely necessary,” Verzosa said. “We don’t want to intervene in the situation of the ground.”
De Lima sought Verzosa’s assessment of Magtibay’s decision to arrest Mendoza’s brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, for allegedly conniving with the hostage-taker.
The arrest, which was aired live on TV, enraged Mendoza and pushed him to open fire on the hostages.

“I was alarmed by the sudden commotion and felt nervous something might happen, [and] I still believe it was the most critical and tipping point,” Verzosa said.
He said he had thought of calling Magtibay to relay instructions on how to handle the situation, but decided not to.

“If you were physically present, would you have done that?

Immediately ordered Magtibay to desist from arresting the brother?” De Lima said.
Verzosa replied:

“I can (make) that decision. But it has already happened, and it might be hard to repair the observations of the public.”

Crowd control
Verzosa said the police failed to control the crowd during the hostage crisis.
He said crowd control involved keeping away not only kibitzers but also the media, the police, and other personalities who should not be at the site of a hostage-taking.
“There was a mix-up,” Verzosa said under questioning by Basbaño.

“The lapses happened because of the failure to [implement] crowd control. We saw some lapses... I think we failed to designate a media center, where media briefings should have been given.”
Like Puno, Verzosa said he was confident that Magtibay was capable of ensuring a peaceful end to the hostage crisis because Mendoza was cooperative with the police during the early hours.
“There were two considerations in having the MPD address it—(Mendoza) was from the MPD and Magtibay said they can probably settle with the hostage-taker because he was cooperative,” the PNP chief said.

Verzosa said the release of some of the hostages in the first few hours of the situation indicated that the negotiation “going smoothly.”
“In various stages, (the negotiation) was proceeding very well,” he said, adding that he was continuously talking with Magtibay to give instructions.
Verzosa said Mendoza’s disposition suddenly changed when he saw the letter from the Office of the Ombudsman stating that it would review his dismissal from the PNP.
“That was the tipping point. His character just changed from then on,” Verzosa said.

Unk Dicko's Comment:
For a change would my dear friends and readers care to share some of your comments or

observations either on this report or on any aspect of the tragedy?

Shocking Revealations at Manila Inquiry !

Manila police fired 20 rounds in ill-fated bus
By Timothy Chui (China Daily HK Edition)

Updated: 2010-09-03, 09:23
Manila police fired 20 rounds in ill-fated bus.

Hong Kong, bus hostage, the philippines,

Lead HK investigator into hostage killings questioned on exit from Manila

Hong Kong investigators probing the aftermath of the August 23 Manila hostage crises inspects the ill-fated Hong Thai Tours bus in Taguig, the Philippines, Aug 30, 2010.

[Photo/Xinhua]

Investigators probing the aftermath of the August 23 Manila hostage crises have found evidence that 20 rounds were fired into the Hong Thai Tours bus by police.
Eight Hong Kong residents died during the hostage taking by Rolando Mendoza, a 55-year-old ex-cop dismissed for corruption.
The information concerning evidence of police bullets came out despite a gag order surrounding the inquiry.
Documents obtained by Filipino broadcaster ABS-CBN News disclose that police bullets hit the vehicle's windshield, driver's side window, tyres and a window near the door well.
Bullet holes linked to the line of fire of the SWAT team were also found in windows near to where some of the passengers were seated, according to the report.
Filipino authorities expect to wrap up the gathering of evidence next week.
Hong Kong Police are working in tandem with Filipino investigators who may also fly to Hong Kong to take statements from two survivors, to assist in mounting a re-enactment of the tragedy next Monday, said Filipino Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Related readings:

LegCo holds debate on Manila hostage carnage

Memorial service for HK victims in the Philippines

Hong Kong stages rally to mourn for hostage victims

HK, Philippines to exchange hostage probe info

Without naming the two hostages, she added the trip may be cancelled if statements taken by Hong Kong police are provided and there are no conflicts.
Following the probe, a high-level delegation will take the investigations' findings to Beijing and then to Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, two Hong Kong police officers conducting investigations in Manila were questioned briefly by Filipino authorities Thursday.
Interpol Division Chief Inspector Li Kwai-wah was denied clearance to board a flight from Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Hong Kong Thursday morning. He was stopped because he was carrying a bag of empty shell casings from the gunman's assault rifle, Chinese Embassy in the Philippines spokesman Sun Yi said.

Interpol Division Chief Inspector Li Kwai-wah is escorted by aviation security to a waiting vehicle after he was held at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila September 2, 2010 for carrying a bag of empty shell casings from the gunman's assault rifle.

[Photo/Agencies]

Li had not declared the casings nor did he have the required clearance from the Philippine National Police. Li was allowed to fly out after questioning, the spokesman said.
Public anger has been simmering over the handling and aftermath of the August 23 hostage crisis during which 22 Hong Kong residents were held hostage on a busy Manila thoroughfare.
Mendoza murdered eight of the hostages before he was killed by police at the end of a bungled two-hour-long rescue attempt.

The Filipino government says it's looking into the latest in a series of blunders. The bodies of three of those killed in the incident were sent to the wrong families in Hong Kong.
Philippines Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman apologized for the mix up.
The mistakes were discovered when the victims' coffins were taken to the Kwai Chung Mortuary after being flown in from Manila, according to the Security Bureau.
The bodies were identified by family members in Manila so the mislabeling may have been done by Filipino mortuary workers, a statement read.

Unk Dicko's Comment:

Everything I have seen so far from various news reports, including some of the latest inside

reports from Manila available online, suggests that the Philippines is only giving nominal co-operation and access to the Hong Kong GOVERNMENT appointed investigation team.

They, the Filipinos are not using their heads again.

THIS MAY YET TURN OUT TO BE ANOTHER BIGGER DISASTER THAN THEY CAN

IMAGINE.

Long ago we have learnt from wise men,

" When you have already done WRONG and have been found out, do not go on to commit another WRONG in the hope of hiding that first MISTAKE. "

And may I humbly add...NEVER AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL !

The so-called Official Inquiry by Manila have definitely confirmed my earliest assessments about the debacle and shameful fiasco.

The MAIN PROBLEM IS TOTAL LACK / ABSENCE OF QUALITY LEADERS with Integrity and Intelligence.

If you read and follow the various reports, you will be shocked at the unimaginable circus of CHIEFS of police, of this committee, that committee, at this level, at that level.... even an ordinary person like me be so disgusted with the idiocy of it all.

I can imagine myself having a BIG headache just to sit through and listen to all the "nonsense"

and explanations coming from their "big" chiefs.

You need 10 bottles of Panadol on standby to clear your head!

While the crisis was at its height...the REAL KEY CHIEFS Ministers, Police etc.....all "Chabuted" literally! ( local slang for abscond, run, hide, ). Army slang will say " take cover".

One ordered a govt plane to fly him south to "attend an event". ! ?

Another went to have coffee in a hotel..." and watch the action on TV" ! ?

Another went to have tea...

And another went.....

Whatever it was, it is most disgusting, shameful, irresponsible behaviour and they all should be charged for deriliction of duty and if found guilty...SACKED.

Innocent lives lost, billions of dollars will be lost in future tourism earnings, National shame,

a pariah police force image...all this and more.

If the exact same thing had happened in Sg ( behaviour wise ), I would not need to write a single

word at all.

I know what the inescapable outcome will be.

Manila Mayor says... Snipers should have acted .....!"

[ All photos and images courtesy: South China Morning Post.com ]
The report below is from the SCMP online news.

Snipers should have acted earlier, Manila mayor says
City chief rues missed opportunities to shoot hostage-taker
Raissa Robles in Manila and Clifford Lo Sep 01, 2010

Manila mayor Alfredo Lim said yesterday snipers should have shot the gunman in last week's tragic bus hijacking when they had the chance instead of waiting to see if the situation could be solved through negotiation.

Several times throughout the day sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza was in clear view in the door of the bus where he held a group of Hong Kong tourists at gunpoint, but police held off in the hope they could end the crisis peacefully.

Manila mayor Alfredo Lim said yesterday snipers should have shot the gunman in last week's tragic bus hijacking when they had the chance instead of waiting to see if the situation could be solved through negotiation.

Several times throughout the day sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza was in clear view in the door of the bus where he held a group of Hong Kong tourists at gunpoint, but police held off in the hope they could end the crisis peacefully.

"I think that was a mistake, the failure to take that opportunity [to shoot]," Lim said yesterday at a memorial Mass in Manila for the victims.

"But at that time he was already releasing some of the hostages and no harm was being done to them.

"He said earlier that as a general rule, a hostage-taker was not shot if he was not hurting the hostages.

"But there is also a rule that if a clear shot could be given ... and no one else would be hurt, the negotiator has to take advantage of that opportunity."

Lim was speaking as Hong Kong police officers in Manila wound up 15 hours of investigations on the Hong Thai Travel coach where eight hostages and Mendoza died and began to make ballistic examinations of firearms used in the shoot-out.Manila police meanwhile released autopsy results they said confirmed that all the dead hostages had been shot by Mendoza, who also clubbed one on the head with the butt of his M16 rifle.

The Hong Kong police team is expected to take about a month to complete the investigation ordered by the coroner, who will decide whether an inquest will be held.

"Our ballistics expert and senior government chemists have done a variety of examinations to collect evidence, including the on-site inspection of ballistic trajectories and blood-spatter analysis," Hong Kong assistant police commissioner David Ng Ka-sing said in Manila."We have also collected a variety of samples and will bring them back to Hong Kong for thorough analysis."

Ng and his team - which includes officers from the organised crime and triad bureau, forensic firearms examination bureau, liaison bureau and identification bureau and two government chemists - met officials from the Philippines Interpol in Manila for half an hour yesterday.

Lim also denied that he ordered the arrest of Mendoza's brother, Gregorio, the event that spurred the gunman into his killing spree.

"I said to handcuff him, not to arrest him," he said, although he also insisted that as chairman of the city's crisis management committee, he was just a consultant to the rescue operation, which was led entirely by city police chief Rodolfo Magtibay.

Lim also rejected suggestions that he ordered the operation be conducted by the Manila police SWAT team while 20 highly trained commandos from the Philippines' elite police units stood idle nearby.

"I never said don't use the Special Action Force ... what crazy person would say that when the SAF is fully equipped," he said, without explaining why the force was not deployed.

Gregorio Mendoza had gone to the scene with a police negotiator, Superintendent Orlando Yebra, who was carrying a letter from the Ombudsman promising to personally review the sacked officer's case, but Gregorio suddenly told his brother not to give up because the police had not returned Gregorio's firearm.

Yebra had then told Lim and Magtibay that Gregorio Mendoza should be charged as a conspirator, which prompted Lim to say "handcuff him", the mayor said.

But they changed their minds about handcuffing and Lim had said "just bring him to HQ".

At that time, about 6.45pm, he had decided to leave and told Magtibay that "this will probably take you until early morning to resolve. Have patience, wait for him to tire and maybe he will release the hostages".

Lim said he did not know at the time that while being led away, Gregorio had broken free and run to the media, which broadcast footage that provoked the tragedy.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima said Lim had been required to submit an affidavit to the Philippines' investigation into the tragedy, which she expected to be completed by the middle of the month.

"No whitewash," De Lima vowed, adding that even President Benigno Aquino might be asked to provide information if necessary.

Colonel Ruby Grace Diangson, chief of the medico-legal division of the Philippine National Police crime laboratory, said yesterday the wounds of the dead were consistent with a high-velocity rifle such as the M-16 Mendoza wielded.He said in a TV interview that the hostages who were killed were shot at a range of more than a metre. The police crime laboratory provided sketches showing how the eight hostages died.

Tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chunn was shot in the head.

Wong Tze-lam was shot in the back and his wife, Yeung Yee-kam, in the head.

His sister-in-law, Yeung Yee-wa, was shot in the shoulder, the bullet piercing her lungs and heart.

Ken Leung Kam-wing was shot in the neck and hands, one of his daughters, Doris Leung Chung-see, in the head and the other, Jessie Leung Song-yi, through the heart and lungs.

Fu Cheuk-yan was shot twice in the torso.

Additional reporting by Alan Robles in Manila.

Unk Dicko's Comment:

It took until NOW for the Mayor of Manila to say, obviously on hindsight, what I had

said should have been done as soon as the incident started, not wait until it turned into a

HORRENDOUS CRISIS!

Do check out my previous posts to see what DECISIVE ACTION should have taken place.

ONE BULLET heading towards the killer was all that was needed to prevent this monumental

tragedy.

If the Mayor thought so now, WHY ON EARTH did he not issue a direct ORDER to do so?

He is now pretty much the same like all the others of whatever rank or position of authority.

Blame here, blame there, what we locals term as "play tai-chi". Blame anyone, not himself.

Mayor Alfredo also said, " I did not order his arrest...just handcuff him ( Gregario, brother of

the gunman ). "

This is part of the devious ploy or excuse of "playing with words". When you handcuff a person it is never for fun. The media's video cameras were actively recording the scene and this was instantly seen "live" in the hostage bus by the gunman. If anything, THIS was the SPARK that started the shooting and killings. And who ordered Gregario to be "handcuffed?"...Mayor Lim!

And how did Gregario escaped from his temporary incapacitation to up the ante again with the media?

It's cartoonic. It's laughable. It's also tragic as Gregario contributed immensely to the tragedy too.

The President is also similar. He first defended the police action and praised them, only blaming

the media hordes.

Now, as the whole world has crticised the police stupidity and gross inefficiency, he too has

collapsed and joined in to "whack" them.

Btw, you must have noticed the SUDDEN INCREASE in Manila Police Efficiency..when it mattered. Check my red highlights.

The corrupt and inefficient police have already "completed" their findings through their

autopsy study. They announced that ONLY ROLANDO had killed all the 8 innocent victims.

In all earlier reports and interviews..they said it will be quite a long while before they can conclude their investigation. And now, hey presto, we've got the results for all you chaps!!!

Just compare, the Hong Kong police, even though they are much, much more advance and efficient than those Manila cowboys say they'll take at least ONE SOLID MONTH before they can say anything.

The circus continues......

Manila DRAMA...even Shakespeare could not write this.

Below is an article from Sin Chew Daily online.
I think it is a very good piece of writing as it manages to encapsulate my feelings, thoughts
and sentiments about this MOST UNNECESSARY TRAGEDY.
Unk Dicko would urge all readers to pay particular attention to the last paragraph of the report.
Note especially the key phrase, " the whole thing should not be seen as merely an incidental
or isolated case". [ I fully concur ] .

Many kidnappings, murders, hostage-taking and other most serious crimes have taken place
over the years in an unending upward spiral, including in recent days.
Many of these crimes are committed by police officers and uniformed personnel.
One of my blog visitor Stanley has requested me to share personal anecdotes about my
experience there...so that anyone intending to visit the Philippines will be more prepared.
Certainly Unk Dicko will do so.

Rolando Mendoza was extremely cruel and inhuman in this COWARDLY ACT.
HE IS A 100% COWARD, no two ways about it, just like
those Mumbai terrorists who murdered Lo Hwei Yen and company .
When you hold a gun, bomb or machete and threaten openly to kill INNOCENT people NOT CONNECTED with your cause whatsoever...You are nothing but a most depraved COWARD.
However, though he killed without mercy, the world knows that his act was symptomatic [ not a culmination ! ] of the depth of the disease of extreme Corruption, Greed for power and money, politics, nepotism and all manner of criminal activity throughout the Philippines.

Where did he get his M 16 rifle and hundreds of rounds from...since he was already sacked
in 2008? He was also carrying handguns too.
Well..no one has even asked this question so far. Why? It's irrelevant that's WHY. It's unnecessary to ask. This is THE P'ppines remember....where everything goes, where everything
just might be possible...FOR A PRICE, of course.


The Philippine drama
Sat, Aug 28, 2010
Sin Chew Daily

The Philippines has become the latest target of international reproof and ridicule.
The whole world watched the incident, which was a concoction of many different genres of drama, unfolding on the TV.
It began with a sitcom:

An ex-police officer hijacked a tourist bus just to demand a reinstatement. That was a typical topic for a sitcom, which tackles day-to-day problems in a superlatively elaborate style.
What happened next was a farce.

The hostage-taker looked relaxed while the police did not seem to take things too seriously.
Both sides were seen negotiating in a "chit chat" manner at the door of the hijacked bus, interrupted at times by the delivery of dinner and drinking water.

What took place next was an impromptu plot:
Police cops, some fat and some thin, were seen circling around the bus, armed with short or long guns, some in riot gears and bulletproof vests while some in casual plainclothes.
They only had one thing in common: having no idea what do do, like an impromptu plot without a proper sketch and designated roles where the players were made to act whichever way they liked.

What followed then was a black comedy:
The police broke the window, but forgot about the stairs. They went into the bus through the safety door, but very soon retreated. They did not use a modern invention called "explosive" to blow up the door, but a primitive hammer that did not seem to work very effectively.
After that, it was the criminal psychology la Hollywood in play:
The police had the slightest idea what was taking place inside the bus, but thanks to the TV onboard, the hijacker had the government's every single move at his finger tips, including the ill-conceived arrest of his brother which triggered the hijacker to kill and gave the plot a dramatic twist.

In the end, it was most definitely a tragedy.
Nine innocent lives were sacrificed, along with the reputation of Manila.
The grand finale was a satire, a marriage of absurdity, incompetence, ignorance and extreme violence.
The absurd thing was: an ex-police officer resorted to hostage-taking to get his post reinstated. If we go a bit deeper, this could have been a grotesque approach for a ex-police inspector to seek justice for himself under a corrupt regime.

The ignorance and incompetence derive from the adoption of all the fallacious tactics in handling this crisis, showing that the Philippine authorities were low in crisis awareness, judgement capability, effective strategies and command giving.
The violent thing was that a disgruntled ex-police officer took the hostages' lives as a bet in his own pursuit of justice.

The whole thing should not be seen as merely an incidental or isolated case.
While the confrontation between a blood-thirsty killer and an incompetent police squad could happen in Manila, it could also take place anywhere else in this world.
But such tragic eventuality will only occur in a highly inefficient, corrupt and disorderly regime that lacks professionalism and effective leadership.
Only in a mismanaged country where social orders are in tatters will such incidents find a fertile ground to prosper.

STORY INDEX
The Philippine drama

RELATED STORY
Govt didn't ask media to moderate live coverage
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo Thursday said he had raised concern over the live coverage that could jeopardize the safety of the hostages. -Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN

HK cancels flights to Laoag and Manila
Travel agencies association also said hotels and resorts reported requests for cancellations by HK and some China tourists, amounting to about 300 rooms in popular destinations. -Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN

Mayor ordered hostage-taker's brother arrest: Manila police chief
Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim ordered the arrest of the brother of the dismissed policeman who held hostage Hong Kong tourists in Manila that resulted in the deaths, said chief. -Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN

Silence in Hong Kong for Manila hostage victims
Three minutes of silence with government work suspended and flags lowered to half-mast at a special ceremony. -AFP

Souvenir photos in front of bus irk HK folk
Filipinos infuriated critics even more by posing in front of the bullet-riddled tourist bus. PDI/ANN

Elsewhere in AsiaOne...
Business: Hostage bloodbath knocks Philippine stocks: analysts

The Manila Massacre... the cover up begins?

Photo source: S T online news showing mother and family

members of H K tour guide Masa Tse crying in anguish at

the arrival of her coffin in the airport at H K.

From Straits Times online news.
SE Asia
Home > Breaking News > SE Asia > Story
Aug 27, 2010

Fatal bullets likely hijacker's
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.
Superintendent 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


Unk Dicko's Comment:

In my previous post, I had predicted almost EXACTLY this course of action that Manila
would take. I had also predicted what some of the possible headlines would read like.
Do check it out.
The above report stated that their initial findings is based on Police testimony, witness accounts and "number of bullets in the bus".
Manila police? They have already bungled, proven useless, ineffective and unreliable...and now
can give testimony truthfully? What testimony...when the whole world wants to know just whose bullets killed the victims? Rolando or the SWAT team?
Most importantly, they the Filipinos have signed off their own fate by NOT INVITING SOME
TOP FORENSIC PATHOLOGISTS FROM THE WORLD AND INCLUDING a H K EXPERT to be present before they conducted the autopsies.
As each bullet is extracted from the body, it should be carfully filmed and marked and sealed with no possibility of tampering, for later analysis.
The whole circus smacks of some fly by night stuff.

Just watch, I predict more incredulous and unbelievable stuff will be emanating from
these cowboys.
It is beyond my comprehension why they keep piling up one disaster upon another.
Something is not quite right about their psyche and DNA.

The circus continues...latest updates!

Channelnewsasia.com

Philippine police test guns used in hostage tragedy.

Posted: 26 August 2010 1351 hrs

Video
Philippine police test guns used in hostage tragedy

MANILA:

Philippine police said Thursday they were carrying out ballistic tests to determine if their commandos fired any of the bullets that killed eight Hong Kong tourists at the end of a hostage siege.

"We are examining the firearms used in the assault, including the 200 firearms used by the assault team," national police spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz told AFP.

Cruz said the M16 rifle and .45 automatic pistol used by the hijacker, ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza, were also being tested. The ballistic tests were part of a series of investigations being carried out by police and government bodies into the tragic end to Monday's hostage crisis.

Mendoza took the busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage in a desperate bid to be reinstated in the force. The hostages were killed as a police commando team attempted to storm the bus, only to be held at bay for about an hour as Mendoza fired at them, using some of his captives as human shields.

The ill-prepared commando team eventually broke into the bus and Mendoza was shot dead.

President Benigno Aquino and the police admitted many mistakes were made during the hostage crisis, and the four leaders of the assault team were suspended on Wednesday. Manila's police chief has also gone on leave.

An inter-government agency commission and the Senate are conducting separate investigations into Monday's events, in addition to the police probe. Cruz said police would give regular updates on the results of the investigation, but would not say when the final conclusions would be released. -AFP/wk

Unk Dicko's observations and comment:

They will never learn!

Reading this report and after listening to the " shocking" live coverage of the Filipino Interior

Minister being questioned in front of "live" cameras and video on our 9.30 pm Headline news, I have a few things to say.

1. The Minister has openly admitted that they all had blundered. That include their police, their chiefs and he included himself too.

Too many red Indian chiefs so, everyone thinks he is very clever and of course very important resulting in far too many diverse views on how to tackle and put an end to one mad man's antics. Thus they doodled and dawdled with no singular focus action plan. Too many cooks spoil the soup ...our teacher used to teach us but obviously Filipinos have other ideas.

All they needed is just one BIG Chief as Ground Zero Commander like the legendary Chief Sitting Bull who completely wiped out General George Custer of the US 7th Calvary and his troops...at the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Even among the American Indians, though there were many real chiefs present as different tribes combined their forces, ..they only knew too well this adage.." we need to have a strong, DECISIVE LEADER ". Sitting Bull was that Leader. He was strong and he was DECISIVE! And that led to victory.

2. Look at the report. They are truly beyond belief. Instead of forming a PROPER COMMISSION of INQUIRY task with finding out the TRUTH of the whole tragedy and debacle, what did they say they will do.?

Different segments will do "their own" investigation.

This tells me alot!

It tells me that the separate segments...police, senate and inter-govt agency do not trust each other's findings, methods or approach. Again the familiar tune of "too many red Indian Chiefs"!

On the other hand, this may be a PLOY ( of somebody who is cleverer than those chiefs ) ..a potential masterpiece of investigation by 3 separate parties yet ALL COMING TO THE SAME CONCLUSION...whatever those conclusions may be.

[ One likely joint finding might possibly be, " No police bullets killed the 8 victims. All bullets from Rolando's gun/s." And one likely headline might read," 3 separate and independent commission came to the same truth...Rolando killed all the victims. Police fire did not kill

any victim." ]

3. The Hong Kong Government has just announced that they will be conducting their own

autopsies on the victims' bodies and their own investigation. Hong Kong had asked Manila govt

to allow them to do a joint autopsy. Well, what was the answer?

Manila CHOSE NOT TO EVEN REPLY to them !!!

Obviously FEARFUL of what they already somehow knew. And what is that?

From what I've read directly from H K's local newspapers..the survivors had been interviewed and they told a most frightful story.

Just one example:

One survivor, her name mentioned, recounted that the victims were killed by mostly bullets fired

from outside the bus.

And who were outside the bus??? Rolando the gunman was inside the bus.

The so -called Filipino super SWAT team may have ended up killing most of the Hong Kong victims.!

What does that tell you?

I do not blame them. It is the right thing to do knowing the lack of transparency, dependability

and integrity in Mabuhay land.

More on the Manila Hostage Killings

[ Photo source: NPR news online ]

[ Photo source: BBC news online ]

24 August 2010 Last updated at 15:28 GMT

Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong
[ From the BBC news online ]

A security analyst who has worked in counter-terrorism with the British Army and Scotland Yard, Charles Shoebridge, says the officers involved in Manila's bus siege showed great courage - but they were not properly trained or equipped for the task.
Here are 10 areas where, in his view, they could have done better.

1. Determination
Philippine police end Manila bus hijack
The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. "They showed great courage to go on board. It's very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it's not unexpected you are going to be fired at. Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through."

2. Lack of equipment
The police spent a long time smashing the windows of the bus, whereas explosive charges (known as frame charges) would have knocked in windows and doors instantly. "They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn't know what to do next," Mr Shoebridge says. "They almost looked like a group of vandals." Their firearms were also inappropriate - some had pistols, some had assault rifles. Ideally they would have carried a short submachine gun, suitable for use in confined spaces.

3. Lost opportunity to disarm the gunman
Mendoza's gun was not always raised
There were numerous opportunities to restrain the gunman, Mr Shoebridge believes. "The negotiators were so close to him, and he had his weapon hanging down by his side. He could have been disabled without having to kill him."

4. Lost opportunity to shoot the gunman
The video of the drama also shows there were occasions when the gunman was standing alone, during the course of the day, and could have been shot by a sharpshooter. "You are dealing with an unpredictable and irrational individual. The rule should be that if in the course of negotiations an opportunity arises to end the situation decisively, it should be taken," Mr Shoebridge says. Either this possibility did not occur to the officers in charge, he adds, or they considered it and decided to carry on talking.

5. Satisfying the gunman's demands
"I wondered why the authorities just didn't give in to all of his demands," says Charles Shoebridge. "A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honour. Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands. He could be reinstated in the police - and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking." The Philippines authorities did in fact give in to the gunman's demands, but too little, too late. One message promised to review his case, while he wanted it formally dismissed. A second message reinstating him as a police offer only arrived after the shooting had started.

6. Televised proceedings
The gunman was able to follow events on television, revealing to him everything that was going on around him. This was a "crucial defect in the police handling", Mr Shoebridge says. He adds that police should always consider putting a barrier or screen around the area, to shield the scene from the cameras and keep the hostage taker in the dark.

7. No element of surprise
It was clear to the gunman what the police were doing at all times, not only because the whole incident was televised, but also because they moved "laboriously slowly", Mr Shoebridge says. The police did not distract him, so were unable to exploit the "crucial element of surprise".

8. Safeguarding the public
This boy, a bystander, was hit by a stray bullet
At least one bystander was shot, possibly because the public was allowed too close. The bullet from an M16 rifle, as carried by the gunman, can travel for about a mile, so preventing any risk of injury would have been difficult, Mr Shoebridge says, but a lot more could have been done. "When you saw the camera view from above, it was clear there was little command and control of the public on the ground," he says.

9. Using the gunman's brother to negotiate
Relatives and close friends can be a double-edged sword, Mr Shoebridge says. While they may have leverage over the hostage taker, what they are saying cannot be easily controlled. In this case, the gunman's brother was included in the negotiations - however, at a certain stage he became agitated and police started to remove him from the scene. The gunman saw this on television, and became agitated himself. According to one report he fired a warning shot.

10. Insufficient training
In some parts of the Philippines, such as Mindanao, hostage taking is not an uncommon occurrence, so the country has some forces that are well trained in the necessary tactics. The detachment involved in Monday's incident clearly was not, says Mr Shoebridge. After smashing the windows, one of the officers eventually put some CS gas inside, though "to what effect was not clear" he says. A unit involved in this work, needs to be "trained again and again, repeatedly practising precisely this kind of scenario," he says.
More on This Story
Related stories:
Britons survive Philippines siege 24 AUGUST 2010, UK
Aquino pledges bus siege inquiry 23 AUGUST 2010, ASIA-PACIFIC
In pictures: Philippines bus siege 23 AUGUST 2010, ASIA-PACIFIC

Unk Dicko's comment:

Point # 5 is moot. As I watched the drama unfolding I said the same thing to D2.

The TOP priority is to ensure the complete safety of everyone inside the bus. The hostage taker

did not even ask for money or anything else other than that he be reinstated to his former rank, position and post.

The President himself or a Minister could have personally come down from the cocoon of their high office to "give him that assuarance in person" or even a Presidential note with his stamp of authority ( all this can be abrogated later ....don't they know it? ).

Rolando the gunman wanted MEDIA ATTENTION for his personal cause.

The media was there but...brains were sorely lacking in this crisis.

So, we need to add another most critical point to the 10 above.

11. Total Absence of TOP QUALITY Leadership

This lack of the Leadership factor is the main ingredient missing from what the whole world

saw "live" on TV.

The President only came after the shooting had ended and he was SMILING to the cameras!

His persona on the scene did not do him any good either. And he was way TOO LATE !

The Manila HOSTAGE Massacre..what a CIRCUS!

[ Above Photos source: AsiaOne Online News ]

This news Report below is from the New York Times.

Gunman and 8 Hostages Dead in the Philippines
By CARLOS H. CONDE
Published: August 23, 2010

[ Photo source: New York Times ]

MANILA —A former police officer took a busload of tourists hostage in downtown Manila on Monday morning, opening a 12-hour standoff that was broadcast live on television, including its end as police commandos stormed the bus before a watching crowd.
Related
The Lede Blog: Video of Manila Hostage Drama (August 23, 2010)
Erik De Castro/Reuters

A demand was posted by the hostage taker on the bus window.
An ex-policeman who hijacked a tourist bus (inside the bus) speaking with negotiators at the front of the bus in Manila on Monday.
Eight tourists, all from Hong Kong, were killed, along with the hostage-taker. He was identified as Rolando Mendoza, a 55-year-old officer who had been accused of robbery and extortion and was fired last year.

There were indications that Mr. Mendoza, who news reports said was armed with an M-16 assault rifle, was watching the live news broadcasts of the scene on a monitor inside the bus as it sat for hours, curtains drawn, at a major public plaza.
Throughout the day, the gunman wrote his demands for the return of his job and benefits on cardboard and pasted them on the windshield of the bus. One message read, “Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision.”

Late in the afternoon, he posted a message saying, “Media now,” apparently telling journalists to come to him. But by then the police prevented reporters from even getting near the bus.
At one point, the gunman’s brother complained to reporters near the scene that the police were threatening him; the cameras then showed him being detained by officers and shoved into a police car, his relatives wailing behind him. Shortly after, shots were heard from inside the bus.
Gunfire also broke out when the police tried to break the windshield and glass windows of the bus with sledgehammers. A bystander was hit in the leg by one of the bullets.

Mr. Mendoza gave an interview to Radio Mindanao Network, a Manila station, in which he admitted shooting two of the hostages and threatened to kill more.
“I shot two Chinese,” he told the station in Tagalog. “I will finish them all if they do not stop.”
The commandos struck after the bus driver jumped through a window and ran from the bus screaming, “Everybody is dead!”

The cameras captured the commandos, armed with rifles, surrounding the bus and opening an emergency exit, as emergency vehicles converged at the scene in heavy rain.
Police officers threw tear gas inside the bus, apparently forcing Mr. Mendoza to go near the bus’s main door, which they had torn down. Shots were heard and in a split second the body of a man — presumably Mr. Mendoza — was seen slumped by the door.
Several of the unharmed hostages, visibly shaken and some crying, were taken off the bus through the emergency exit.

President Benigno Aquino, in a news briefing around midnight, said Mr. Mendoza might have gained some advantage from the coverage. “To a certain extent, he may have had a bird’s eye view of the developments, which might not have helped,” the president said.
The case captivated — and angered — Filipinos, with many blaming the news coverage for the disastrous end.

The chief executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang, called the case a “major tragedy,” and criticized the Filipino authorities.
“The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, I find is disappointing,” Mr. Tsang said at a news conference in Hong Kong, Reuters reported.
But Mr. Aquino defended the actions of the authorities: “The idea was to let the ground commanders who are the experts in this field handle the operation with minimal interference from people who are less expert.”

Unk Dicko's observations and comments:

I happened to be passing through Tan Tock Seng Hospital Accident and Emergency foyer when I noticed people crowding around the "live" TV footage that was unfolding in Manila. That was the first time I got wind of the drama. Later when I arrived home, I immediately switched the TV on to follow the progress of the situation.

Before the shooting even started... I had a terrible feeling that "things" would go wrong badly.

And I told my wifey so. She too was watching. Why and How come?

Nothing to do with 6th sense.

It was what I saw that truly shocked me. The scene of the hostage bus, the people around it, the police, the media, the public and bystanders....the entire scene looks like a circus to me.

I did not see any clear evidence of TACTICAL ORGANISATION by anyone, police or otherwise.

I did not see any semblance of SERIOUSNESS of recognition of the GRAVITY of the situation.

MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, I DID NOT SEE ANY SIGN OF INTELLIGENT, STRONG LEADERSHIP AMONG THOSE DEALING WITH THIS CRISIS.

Just WHO was in charge OVERALL?

Was it the President? The National Police Chief? The City Police Chief? Or the District Police Chief?

Has the "Ground Zero Commander" got the authority to take any action to end this DANGER speedily with FULL backing of the govt ? Is he trained for this at the highest level?

I know I have posed many questions but they would be the same if this had taken place here too.

There are a few thousand reports and very detailed news analysis about this most horrendous bungling rescue attempt by the Philippines police...online.

The excuses given by the Manila police and government were they "lack advance weapons, lack arms, lack this and lack that".

What a load of rubbish!

If you have been following the footage shown live, you would have noticed how the hostage-taker Rolando stood with his guard down umteenth times...even on the steps of the open bus.

He was super dangerous. He was super irrational.

He should have been taken down right there and then with a bullet! PERIOD!

No innocent lives would have been lost.

The country would not have been hugely embarassed.

Their economy would have picked up.

Today, their stock market has plunged, their peso has also gone down by a lot.

And worse is to come still, believe me.

The ONE MOST IMPORTANT THING THEY LACK IS ...STRONG, INTELLIGENT, DECISIVE

LEADERSHIP in practically all their organisations, and most sadly and unfortunately for the poor victims, had that been evident, this hostage incident would have ended peacefully in a shorter time too.

In a crisis of this proportion, you need a Ground Zero Commander who can rise to the occasion.

From what the whole world saw...the amateurish antics of the police chaps as they tried to break into the bus, you already know the answer.

My deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families and the Hong Kong people.