Requiem Mass held in HK for dead hero of hostage crisis

More than 1,200 people attended the Requiem Mass for Ken Leung Kam-wing, a 58-year-old Catholic who sacrificed his life during the August 23 Manila hostage crisis. “My husband was very brave," Leung’s wife, Amy Ng, was quoted as saying in a report on the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCANews) site. “He was shot dead as he tried to stop the gunman from killing others." Leung’s widow was one of the 25 people— 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos— held hostage by Rolando Mendoza, a dismissed senior police inspector. Nine people died after an 11-hour standoff— eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker. Leung and Ng's daughters, 14-year-old Song Yi and 21-year-old Chung See, were among those killed. Their son Jason remains in critical condition after undergoing surgery because of a skull fracture. The Requiem Mass (Mass for the Dead) at the Mother of Good Counsel Church was led by Fathers Dominic Chan, Thomas Law and Emilio Lim. Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Donald Tsang Kam-yuen and officials from the Philippine Consulate General also attended the Mass. According to UCANews, Paul Mak, Leung’s friend, said Ng's husband was “a helpful and straightforward person who was always willing to take responsibility." Lim, a chaplain to Filipino migrants, apologized on behalf of the Philippines. “I and many Filipinos were shocked and angry," he was quoted as saying in the news report. Chan, vicar general of Hong Kong diocese, cited a biblical quotation as he praised Leung's bravery: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness." The Massgoers prayed for the other hostage victims who died as well as those who survived. –VVP GMANews.TV