HK jury takes a leave to deliberate verdict on Manila hostage crisis

A Hong Kong inquest jury looking into last year's Manila hostage tragedy has taken a leave to consider its verdict on the case. The five-man jury's verdict is awaited in Hong Kong, especially by the kin of the eight tourists who were killed in the hostage tragedy last Aug. 23, Radio Television Hong Kong reported before noon Wednesday. Coroner Michael Chan had told the jurors that the only option open to them was a verdict of unlawful killing, the report said. But if they could not reach this conclusion beyond reasonable doubt, they would have to return an open verdict. Also, the jury is expected to deliver a narrative finding instead of a traditional short form verdict, which will lay down details of the circumstances of the incident. Meanwhile, the relatives of the victims are preparing to pursue their own charges against some Philippine officials who they said bungled the rescue efforts. The family of slain tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chunn said they are not expecting much from the verdict. "We cannot expect much... as the inquest could not hear evidence from key Filipino witnesses to get a full picture of events resulting in the tragic outcome," said the guide's elder brother, Tse Chi-kin, according to a report on the Hong Kong Standard newspaper. "We'll discuss with our lawyer how we can pursue the case against the Philippine government, which just wanted to avoid criminal liability," he added. The guide's younger brother, Tse Chi-hang, added Philippine authorities could be approached for more information about events that led to the carnage of a bungled rescue. The statements Chan read out in court included one on whether the jury agrees the eight would have lived if hostage-taker dismissed Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza's demand to be reinstated in the police force had been properly addressed by Manila. Another is whether Mendoza used his M16 assault rifle to shoot the hostages. The coroner also reminded jurors that their findings must be based solely on evidence in court, saying they should not be influenced by media reports or commentaries. Chan likewise insisted the inquest is a limited inquiry into facts surrounding the deaths and will not go into civil or criminal liability issues. If there was any claim for compensation, he said hijack survivors or the families of slain hostages "should resort to separate suits in other courts." A total of 41 witnesses – most of them survivors or experts from Hong Kong and Manila – have been heard, and 170 items of evidence included autopsy reports, bullet fragments and a model of the tour bus. In his summary, Chan said the eight deaths have been attributed to high velocity bullets from an assault rifle, though two people could have survived if treated in a timely manner by Philippine rescuers. — LBG/RSJ, GMA News