Vietnam...How to survive the chaotic traffic!

If you are a first time visitor to Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon ), one of the most striking thing to hit you is the sheer mass and volume of traffic on the road. That was the 1st thing that struck me. Now, Unk Dicko has been to more than 500 cities around the world and still counting. Most big cities have as much traffic as Saigon but they are better controlled and perhaps more regulated.
In some big cities like Shanghai, Beijing, Jakarta and Bangkok, if you want to cross the street...it might be wiser to use pedestrain crossings at identified locations.
So too in most of the European cities.
However, in Saigon it is not necessary to use a "zebra crossing" as most motorists do not really stop for pedestrains. In fact, it may be highly dangerous if you simply expect ALL motorists to treat you like the rarest diamond on earth!
So how on earth do you cross a street without being turned into pizza?

[ Me on " Ah Sup's bike before we explored the city ]

To answer that question and this is really good advice...When in Rome,Do as the Romans Do.
So how do the local Saigonese cross the road? Observe and learn and you'll survive just
like them.
You are at the curb of a road. The traffic seems really thick and chaotic. You look right, then left and then right again, then left again..and you see a 50/50 chance, without much further thought
DASH or RUN across the dizzy stream of unending traffic. Next thing you hear... BONG! BANG!
And you become history.

[ It was early morning on Sunday. Traffic starting to pick up ]

The local method of crossing a road:

Survey the road. Pick the less congested part preferably where the traffic is coming

from only ONE side or direction.

Be brave! Watch traffic carefully.

Get ready for the right moment.

Spot a GAP in the line of traffic and WALK VERY SLOWLY into the traffic,

moving towards the middle of the road.

Somehow as I have observed, all the motorbikes will know how to go around and avoid you.

But if you start running...you may not be coming home.

Two things worth noting in this photo.

This is the kind of cross junction you should Never attempt to cross at.s

Why? The traffic comes at you from more than 4 directions. It will be beyond you.

Look closely at all the overhead electric cables. They are so heavy and overloaded they have

begun to sag.

I wonder if any of my visitors can recall when was the last time we saw this in S'pore?

As Ah Sup rode his bike carefully with me as his pillion, I was doing something I should

by right not be doing...shooting the scene with my digital camera. One handed shooting!

My other hand gripped the side support bar.

First time I've ever tried doing this. If I didn't do it, I can't bring you these scenes.

All these pictures were shot on the move.

Look closely, the different streams of traffic actually at "cross-path" to one another,

with no traffic lights to regulate the stop or flow. They just merge into each other gently

as though all those behind the wheel or bike have telepathic understanding of each others'

way.

Incredible but true!

The flow of traffic in Saigon, despite the sheer volume, takes place every day..like a

highly rehearsed ritual. Everyone moves, everything moves even in opposite directions or

at cross-directions without the need to stop SUDDENLY. It's almost like an art form.

It's mechanised ballet.


Any rider or driver from Singapore will face immense problems if they hope to

ride or drive here.

I personally would not reccomend it.

That's why, although Unk Dicko is a very safe and reliable driver and rider since the 60's

[ 100% accident free record ! ] and I am still doing both daily, for Saigon I thought it wiser

not to tempt fate.

We went through different sections of the city. Fortunately, the roads

originally built with French help when Vietnam was a French Colony, were

generally wide with sidewalks( pavements) for pedestrains.

The slight white top of Ah Sup's helmet can be seen in this picture.


Was I at any time afraid while we rode through and around the city?

Let me say here loudly and clearly.

Not once throughout our entire trip did I notice anyone SPEEDING on the road!

Not a car, lorry, van or motorbike !!!

(Back home in S'pore...without FAIL, everyday you and I

will see more than one SPEEDING moron behind a bike or vehicle on our roads.

Why do they do it? Are the penalties not severe enough? I have no answer. You tell me. )

This is another REAL eye-opener for me.

I did ask Ah Sup at the end of our ride about my observation.

His reply?

The police is VERY STRICT about anyone caught SPEEDING.

Suspended License or Revoked License can be expected.

Practically everyone old enough has a motorbike license. It is the cheapest, fastest and most

practical form of transport for moving around or to conduct your business, etc.
Without this license, with no MRT, few buses, few taxis, little money...it is almost like a

death sentence without a bike.

Fearsome Vietcong Booby Traps !

Just to re-focus, we were still at the Cu Chi Tunnel Complex and some of us

had just finished trying out the M16 rifle at the shooting range. I'm glad that we actually had

the chance to have that experience over in Vietnam, right in the heart of Vietcong country.

As I see it, the country so devastated by death and destruction caused by war is steadily regaining

its footing and balance, albeit slowly.

While, I was crawling in the tunnel, I could not capture any snapshots of the inside. The space was just too cramped within.

I managed to locate this wartime picture ( below ) showing a US soldier inside a similar tunnel.

Notice it was so cramped that he had to sit on his M16 rifle, the barrel jutting out from under his

leg.

Some of these troops who went on 'search and destroy' missions of these hidden tunnels were

nick-named "Tunnel Rats" by their comrades.


Did he make it out alive? Many were bobby-trapped inside.

NVA picture showing young VC girls laying booby traps for

their enemy.


A victim of a Vietcong booby trap lay seriously injured,

attended to by his platoon medic and comrades.

Most of the Vietcong booby traps were originally used for

ensnaring animals of the jungle. Bamboo especially was very strong

as stakes and pointed spears and was plentiful in the jungle.

Even young boys and girls were taught how to make simple yet

effective traps.

Where metal is available, some parts of the trap may be made from it.

All the traps were cleverly camouflaged by a deceptive cover which was

similar to the debris on the footpath or grassy slope. One wrong footstep

was all it took and the Law of Gravity always did the rest. Many of the victims

were seriously incapacitated for life, if they survived. Most did not.

And it is just too gruesome to show pictures of such victims on a blog!

This particular trap is most vicious. If an enemy walks into

it, either one or both his legs would be trapped in the middle of

this spiked clamp. Look how long each spike is. The damage and

pain the victim suffers is unimaginable.

Many of the traps are laced with poison on the spikes.

They also put human waste on it so that the victim's wounds

would be contaminated.




Most of the booby traps are hidden in the footpaths

and jungle trails, on grassy embankments and near the

base of trees where tired soldiers tend to take a rest or

take cover under enemy fire.

But some traps catch the unsuspecting victim from above.

This is one of them. It is set off by a hidden tripwire on the ground.

When a soldier's foot accidentally touch the wire, the delicate "catch"

is released and the trap is activated in seconds.

Two heavy spiked trestle come towards each other from opposite direction

catching the poor victim in the middle ( sandwiched ).

Something quite similar to what I have just described was featured in the Vietnam period

war movie "The Green Berets", released in 1968, starring hugely popular American movie

hero JOHN WAYNE and David Janssen.

Unk Dicko have seen practically all the movies about the Vietnam War, including this one.,

some together with D2.

When I was doing this blogpost, I asked D2 if she could still remember the movie we saw

back then around 1969... she forgot most of the synopsis but said she still can recall vividly

the booby trapped scene. It was sheer horror!

Scenes like those and others were deliberately scripted into the movie as the reasons behind making that movie were political. Back in the US, the Anti-War Movement and Protest were growing louder by the day...led by not only civil, social and human rights leaders but by an increasing band of celebrities like Jane Fonda and company.

So the Pro-war faction which was staunchly anti-communist made a decision to produce a film

about the ongoing conflict in Vietnam. They hope it would show the American people why

they need to be engaged in Vietnam.
John Wayne was fiercely patriotic, completely anti-communist and agreed to be the producer

of the film.

The film enjoyed quite some success when it was released.

But there were many contentious issues which remained till this day.



After seeing all these deadly booby traps and all the reminders of the terrible war

that was fought right where we stood...everyone was lost in their own thoughts!
It is a sobering reminder to all of us in this present day that WAR should be avoided

at all cost.
Negotiations, Talks and where that fail allowing the United Nations
to use its approved Courts to arbitrate and decide....is the only alternative to WAR.

Just like our issue with M'sia over Pedra Branca.

Years of top-level meetings failed to resolve the issue.

And some dangerous politicians ( not S'poreans)

were making use of the lack of progress to "whack" their own leaders as useless, cowards,

scared of S'pore etc.

Some people advocate that you need war to have peace.

That is a Fallacy!

The price of Peace is not War, never had been.

Vietnam...the other war. M16 vs AK47, winner is?

During the entire Vietnam Conflict, 2 legendary assault rifles made their marks on the battlefield.

The American GIs and the ARVN ( South Vietnamese troops) relied heavily on their standard issue M16 assault rifle.

The North Vietnamese and the Vietcong soldiers best weapon was the USSR supplied AK 47.

Both sides in the conflict had ample opportunity to test their gun under the most extreme fighting conditions imaginable...heat, humidity, the monsoon season, swampy and muddy conditions, grime and choking dust, dirt and blood...

And both sides also captured each other's guns and ammo.

[ This is a standard Russian made AK 47 ]

The AK 47

AK stands for Automatic Kalashnikov. 47 was the year it was first produced...1947.

The inventor was Mikhail Kalashnikov who was wounded in a battle towards the end of WW2. He was recuperating in a hospital in Russia and decided to tinker around with the earlier versions of the Russian gun. Soon as he recovered, he submitted his improved design in a contest

and the rest was as they say ..history.

The AK47 is designed for easy use and can be produced cheaply. It is rugged, battle-proven, easy to clean and maintain and can deliver a powerful impact in rapid-fire, sub-machine gun mode.

It uses the 7.56mm caliber ammo that is bigger and deadlier than the M16 bullet.

Unk Dicko is not an expert on firearms.

As mentioned in some of my earlier posts, I have read books about the Vietnam War and have my own collection at home too. In numerous accounts in different books written mainly by Americans and other westerners, many blamed the M16 rifle for jamming up in the heat of battle. That cost many lost lives! The gun was also said to malfunction or cannot even function once it is wet as after a river/swamp crossing. It breaks down when even a little dirt or mud gets into its working parts. Well, generally from my readings, there were more serious complaints about the M16 by their users than the AK 47.

M16 vs ak47?

I've checked many sources and most conclude as this WikiAnswers site shows below:

In: Firearms, Colt Pistols and Rifles

The answer is simple.

AK can break through concrete, M16 can't. Run over AK with Humvee, it still works, M16 will break to pieces. Bury an AK in dirt, still works fine. Bury an M16, doesn't work. Submerge an AK in water, works just great. Submerge an M16 in water, jams.

The M16 is more accurate that the AK47. It has a higher muzzle velocity. It has a much higher rate of fire. The weight of a soldier's supply of rounds is much less with the M16.

The AK has substantial impact at 300 - 600 meters. The M16 has very little impact at that range. This is because the AK uses 30 calibre (7.56 mm) bullets and the M16 uses 22 calibre (5.56 mm) bullets. The small diameter causes the bullet to slow from air resistance quite rapidly.

The M16 has a problem (as do all rapid-firing ultralight assault rifles) of overheating when firing long bursts. One method that some American instructors taught their soldiers to destroy weapons that had to be left behind was to fire a full 20 round clip and then push the barrel against the ground. The barrel will warp. The AK is much more resilient.

[ These are 4 versions of the M 16 with the oldest version at top]

[ The top one was the gun first issued to US soldiers in Vietnam in 1963]

The M16

The earlier version before the M16 was the AR 15. Apparently the strong point about this

assault rifle is its accuracy and less recoil problem.

But over longer distances, it lacks punch or killing power...as it uses the smaller 5.56 mm

caliber ammo.
The gun has a good "feel" about it under normal conditions.

At the Cu Chi Tunnel complex, after all the crawling on all fours, we were able

to stand up straight again and many of us headed for the Souvenir/Refreshment/Shooting

Range Office.

For those who wanted to, here was a chance for us to use an M16 rifle with "live" rounds to shoot

at a target about 300 metres away.

Here I was taking aim before gently squeezing on the trigger. You must never "pull" on the trigger! The recoil from the shot is not as bad as the days I used to shoot from the British made 303 Mark 4 back in the late 60's till near 80's.

In those early days, we only had cotton wool stuffed into our ears and I was one of those who

suffered from a permanent partial hearing loss in one ear.

It was only several years later that I bought my own very advanced electronic ear plugs which helped a lot when I was at the Police Shooting Range ( at least 4 times a year ) and earning myself a "marksman" status with rifle and revolver. I needed those special ear plugs too because of my regular "Starter's "work in sports using the Starter's gun.



Ready ! Aim! Firing the M16 at Cu Chi Range.



The Vietcong was able to make most use of anything they could find.

These were the kind of sandals made entirely from old rubber tyres.


More unexploded American bombs and mines shown here.

It was extremely dangerous work to saw or prise open a "live"

bomb. Many have died doing just that.
Just 2 days ago, another live bomb exploded in Vietnam and killed

a poor farmer.

This tank was decimated in a VC ambush using an anti-tank mine in 1970.


I wonder what had happened to those who were once inside

the tank? Were they killed or captured?



They had mock-up VC models set up to show how the VC carried on

their daily life of hardship under war conditions.
Food was scarce during the Vietnam war and therfore the Vietnamese ate

anything that was edible and not poisonous.

Anything?

Everything?

Yes absolutely! Dogs and cats included. Either eat or starve to death!

The USA show Manila how to act ...in latest hostage incident!

Below is the latest online news report from the New York Times.
Article and images are from the website.

Maryland Hostages Safe as Police Kill Gunman
By LIZ ROBBINS and BRIAN STELTER
Published: September 1, 2010

Police officers shot and killed a gunman with a history of protesting against the Discovery Channel, the authorities said, ending a nearly four-hour ordeal on Wednesday at the company’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. The gunman, apparently wearing explosives, had taken two employees and a security guard hostage, officials said.
Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger held a news conference near the Discovery Communications building after a gunman was shot dead and his hostages released in the building in Silver Spring, Md.
The hostages, all men, were unharmed.

The police negotiated by phone throughout the afternoon with the gunman, who was on the first floor, as the rest of the 1,900 employees and the children in the day care center were leaving the building.
At 4:48 p.m., believing the hostages were in danger, the police shot the gunman, Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County police said at a news conference.
Chief Manger said it had been reported that the man pulled out a handgun and pointed it at one of the hostages. “At that point,” he said, “our tactical units moved in. They shot the suspect. The suspect is deceased.”
Police officials said the company had identified the gunman to them as James J. Lee. A Web site run by Mr. Lee, SaveThePlanetProtest.com, was established in January 2008. The Web site complains that the Discovery Channel produces programs about the environment for profit, not for humanitarian reasons.

Discovery Communications operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and a number of other cable channels.
The Montgomery County state’s attorney said Mr. Lee was arrested in February 2008 and later convicted of disorderly conduct after a protest outside the Discovery Channel. Without using Mr. Lee’s name, Chief Manger said the gunman on Wednesday was the same person who was arrested in 2008.

A spokesman for the Discovery Channel, David Leavy, said Mr. Lee had thrown $20,000 into the air at the protest, where a crowd of people rushed to grab it.
The state’s attorney said that as a condition of Mr. Lee’s probation, which ended two weeks ago, he was barred from going within 500 feet of the Discovery headquarters. The authorities said the gunman entered the Discovery building around 1 p.m. Wednesday, bringing one of Washington’s largest and busiest suburbs to a standstill for hours.
He walked through the front door with two backpacks and two boxes believed to contain explosives, the police said, displaying the handgun and telling people to stay still. The police responded after reports of gunshots.
An NBC News producer called the headquarters and was connected to a man who identified himself as James J. Lee, an NBC spokeswoman said. NBC later released the transcript. “I have a gun, and I have a bomb,” the man said on the telephone call. “I have several bombs strapped to my body ready to go off.”
Mr. Leavy said Discovery Communications had been aware of Mr. Lee from his arrest and from recent postings of demands on his Web site.

Sometime in August, the Web site called for Discovery to show programs about how to save the planet by decreasing the human population. Specifically, it said that the TLC and Discovery Health channels should discontinue shows about “the birth of any more parasitic human infants,” and “in those programs’ places, programs encouraging human sterilization and infertility must be pushed.”
Chief Manger said that most of the gunman’s demands during the hostage standoff “mirrored what he has on his Web site.”
Bernie Becker contributed reporting from Silver Spring, Md. Unk Dicko's Comment:

Unk Dicko's Comment:

I have read various reports about this latest hostage incident. The gunman was extremely
dangerous. As long as there are innocent people involved as hostages, law enforcement agencies
are DUTY BOUND to PUT THE LIFE AND SAFETY OF THOSE HOSTAGES ABOVE ANYTHING ELSE.
And that was clearly in evidence here.
The Montgomery County Police Chief and his SWAT team must be highly commended for
doing what they are supposed to do....ACTING DECISIVELY. Hats off to them !
I am certain that they must have been aware of the recent Manila Fiasco by the govt and police.
The scene in this latest incident was similar in one respect....just ONE lone gunman with
explosives taped to his body.
So, what do you do if you're i/c of ending this without hopefully any innocent dying?
Wait and wait and doodle and dawdle like those manila cowboys did... 10 hours?
Wait and wait until he started his wanton killing?
The answer is a BIG BIG NO.
NO, you don't wait until he has killed the 3 hostages or more.
Your SWAT team or as that brave Canton policewoman showed, can take him down in the
blink of an eye.

Unk Dicko has been reflecting a little more deeply on the Manila incident, trying to fathom WHY no one among the 200 odd policemen surrounding the hostage bus DARED to just step forward
and shoot Rolando their ex-police colleague.
It was as simple as that. Anywhere else in most countries, it would have ended on the steps of that bus...but not in Manila. So WHY indeed? Mystery? No!
Looking back at how the P'ppines operate, their corrupt police and army and quasi-govt agencies,
I suspect there is a genuine real FEAR that whichever police officer 'brave' or 'FOOLISH' enough to shoot Rolando dead will know his very OWN LIFE becomes worthless after that.
Notice no mention is made of who actually shot him. No name, no face, nothing!
That is the kind of culture in a land where 'anything' goes.
Revenge killing is quite common over there.

Vietnam...inside a Vietcong tunnel.

Here are more snapshots of our visit to the unforgettable Cu Chi tunnels of Vietnam.
All pictures are from my digital camera.


This is another of the opening to the underground tunnels. Again, it is quite small
but sufficient to fit all the NVA or Vietcong soldiers. I have never seen any big size
VC soldier. Those that you may have remembered seeing were in Hollywood movies
where the film extras playing the parts of VC were mostly Hispanics, Latinos and even caucasians dubbed with lots of paint and make up. These were the few films produced
in the mid 60's onwards...including " The Green Berets" which starred John Wayne.
It was very difficult to find SE Asian people near the film production set.

Not all openings are for human entry and exit. Many served as air-vents for

fresh air to enter into the tunnels. Obviously they too were cleverly hidden from

the enemy. There were also outlet vents ( very tiny) for smoke from the underground

kitchens. These too were located very carefully so that the smoke will dissipate innocuously

into the jungle surroundings.


D2 about to enter the very dark tunnel. She did not have any flashlight with her,

neither did I. So, after we captured these shots, I went ahead first as Unk Dicko

has very good eyesight in the dark ( I'm a nocturnal creature remember...an Owl ! )

and she followed close behind.

Inside the tunnel it was pitched dark. Only at the beginning was there a dim light

to help you the first couple of crouches. Yes, just imagine, you stoop or crawl all the way

while traversing along the tunnel. A VC could only stand when he reaches a room with

standing space. That could be a long way off.

I was on all fours, hands and feet and at some points even my knees got into the act.

This was the exit for our tunnel. It looks large right? But this was remade in modern times

for the increasing number of visitors to this highly attractive tourist site.

Many of the visitors come from the West and some are really "huge" in size, even the ladies!

Richard the cameraman had "survived" the ordeal and therefore had reasons to smile.

But I'm not too certain if he managed any shots within, even with flash as the tunnel

is really very narrow and cramped, leaving very little elbow room.


Many of us don't really appreciate how fortunate we all were growing up, running around

open ground, going to work, to school, to the market or anywhere we like...with the health-giving

rays of sunlight lighting up our daily life.

We did not have to spend a single day of our life living in such tunnels as those we visited.

The tunnels, being cut off from the sun, were actually very dark, dank and clammy places

where all sorts of bacteria and virus, and other creepies and crawlies flourished.

It was no surprise that many of its inhabitants came down with all kinds of sickness and diseases.

A high percentage died from these illnesses.

As soon as I was out from the tunnel, I realised I was caked with mud, dust and some slime.

I saw a bamboo pole trickling with fresh water.

It was so refreshing just to be able to wash away the dust and grit.

It did occur to me whether the water is safe for washing our faces. I recalled the entire area

around this region was attacked not only with napalm bombs but with "Agent Orange".

Agent Orange a chemical poison was meant to decimate everything living...plants, trees, living creatures and turn that area into a dead desert. It's deadly effects were supposed to last for decades and more.
Somehow, Mother Nature has seen through all these evilness and has returned the land to

a more healthy glow today.

Otherwise I wouldn't be here washing my face!

See...my third finger was plastered up. Those who want to know why check out my earlier post

" Vietnam...Exploring by sampans ".

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......

How Cu Chi Tunnels were hidden...a "live" demo.

After the presentation in the underground hall, we re-emerged into the open. Our 'Vietcong' guide walked us deeper into the environs of that place. Surrounded by what would once have been dense jungle, with thick foliage, shrubs and bushes...we stopped at a location when he
indicated. He then told us to look around carefully and see if any of us could discover any kind
of entrance to the tunnels. Such an opening must inevitably be on solid ground.
Everyone looked and stared at the surface around them...including me.
Nothing seemed out of place.
Even highly trained soldiers would find it near impossible to locate such well-camouflaged
hidden openings.
In fact, just near where our young 'Vietcong' friend stood, using his hands he pushed away
all the dead and rotting vegetation at a spot...and lo and behold, we saw the clear outline of
a rectangular shape.
It was actually the cover for the entrance. Lifting it out, we could see the opening and the darkness within.

He demonstrated to us how easy it was to get in by carefully lowering himself into the hole,
using his arms to support. Once his legs were on solid ground he could then stand and lift
the same well-disguised cover to place over the hole.
Note how slim he was. That's the general size of the typical Vietcong soldier.

After he replaced the cover from inside the hole, we on the outside could not tell the difference

in the surrounding.

However, for the purpose of capturing the spot for you my readers, I moved some of the

leaves away so you can still see the outline of the cover. Otherwise, no way!


Now that the demo was over, the inevitable challenge, " who will like to try?".

I looked around at my good friends and noted that many of them would never be accepted

by the Vietcong even if they had volunteered enthusiastically. This physical entry into a Vietcong

tunnel is a good test. Size counts!

As a Vietcong, your chances of survival depended on being able to locate the nearest hidden

entrance and to get in quickly, without causing a human traffic jam. Obviously there were others

all rushing to get in too when the alarm was sounded.

A few from our party, cheered on by their more rotund friends, decided to take the test.

Here's a brave one...a potential female VC basic recruit.
It did not surprise me that one of those who stepped forward was J, a former student of mine who was a very active and capable Girl Guide in her schooling days.

She was about to place the cover over her head and be totally concealed from within,

when a strong arm suddenly shot out to grab her firmly and advised her gently," ok, better

come out now".

This is a good friend of mine who has visited the tunnels previously and had some scary

tales to tell. Apparently, some visitors had been literally frightened by ghostly apparition

and

hauntings in the tunnels.

What did I experience?

The more appropriate question should be what's my assessment?

I went into the tunnels, not all did. We were advised to carry flashlights. Most did. I did not.

So, as I entered the tunnel...the first thing I realised is that one has to stoop very low, almost like

doing the 'duck walk' in a PE lesson...to move forward. That's because the height of the tunnel for "moving" is deliberately made to be low.

This was to deter the enemy and make it very difficult for him once he's inside.

So, the same sense of claustrophobia could be experienced once you are inside the very narrow

confines of the rugged tunnel.

That feeling is magnified and multiplied when you are faced with near total darkness within.

And the ground is also uneven again deliberately so.

I met nothing fearful while within and while 'feeling' my way forward was able to pass

some hints and warnings about obstacles to those struggling behind me.