A newspaper in Hong Kong on Wednesday sought to ease the reported resentment felt by Chinese nationals toward Filipinos in light of the hostage crisis in Manila that left eight tourists from Chinaâs special administrative region dead. In its editorial Wednesday, the South China Morning Post said Filipinos are the âwrong targets" of the collective anger although it described the police force that handled Mondayâs hostage situation as âincompetent." âThe actions of a unit of police commandos were not [the Filipinosâ] doing. Tarring them with the same brush of incompetence isnât right," the editorial read, adding that venting anger toward Filipinos âsmacks of racism." The editorial also scored the Hong Kong governmentâs response to the tragedy after placing the Philippines on its travel blacklist. âIt has issued its highest travel alert for those thinking of going to the Philippines. Based on a single isolated incident, it has determined that a severe threat exists and that all travel should be avoided," it said.
The editorial explained that the only other countries on the alert list â Indonesia, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia and Thailand â are ranked two levels lower, with travelers advised to âexercise caution." The Security Bureau of Hong Kong
issued a travel warning on Monday, discouraging all travel to the Philippines by its citizens. Just an hour after the hostage-taking ended, the Philippinesâ status was changed by Hong Kong from an âamber alert warning" to a âblack alert warning," indicating severe threats to the countryâs security. âTravel bans are for safety, not political retribution," the SCMP editorial stated. It likewise faulted protesters in Hong Kong who rallied outside the Philippine Consulate General there for the âabuse" hurled against Philippine President Benigno Aquino III in blog postings and placards. The editorial cited a placard that read âCold-blooded Aquino â Go to hell." âStatements like this are not rational or reasonable. All they do is stir needless hatred," it said. The newspaper, which has a daily circulation of over 100,000, urged Chinese nationals not to place blame for the hostage drama to Filipinos, which it described as âinnocent bystanders" to the tragedy. âThe 150,000 Filipinos who live among us in Hong Kong and the untold millions in the Philippines who rely on our business and tourism dollars cannot provide what we want to know. They are as much innocent bystanders to the tragedy as we are and deserve to be treated as such," the editorial said.
- KBK, GMANews.TV