Manila hostage tragedy survivors, kin seek justice from PHL govt

The August 23, 2010 Manila hostage tragedy survivors and relatives of the killed victims from Hong Kong sought on Monday justice and support from the Philippine government. A day before the first year anniversary of the tragedy, hostage survivor Lee Ying-chuen said “We come back here to demand justice and to tell the government of the Philippines that we are still angry." Lee made the statement during a press conference in Fort Santiago in Manila, where hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza boarded the Hong Kong tourist bus last year. Lee said she was still she is still “angry" with the Aquino government for its supposed failure to punish the people responsible for the incident. She also demanded apology and compensation from the Philippine government, saying that officials of the Aquino administration did not even try reaching out to the victims during the past year. “We never even got a phone call or a letter apologizing for what happened. That should have been the most basic thing to do. None of us received a word from the government of the Philippines," she said. Not well organized She likewise recounted the bungled hostage rescue, which she described as “not well organized and not well coordinated," leading to the death of eight of her fellow tourists. “We waited for 10 to 11 hours for rescue but it came very late. We trusted the government of the Philippines to save foreign lives, but it didn’t," she said. On August 23 last year, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza, took a busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage near the historic Quirino Grandstand in Manila. Failed negotiations between Mendoza and the police resulted in the deaths of eight hostages, all at the hands of Mendoza, who was killed by responding policemen. The standoff lasted for 11 hours. The Manila hostage tragedy was considered as the first major crisis that rocked the then barely two-month-old administration of President Aquino. Scared Tse Chi-kin, brother of the tour guide who died in the incident, cried as he described how “scared" he and fellow relatives of victims are to go back to the Philippines to appeal to the Aquino government. “We are all scared to be here again because the terror of our loved ones began here, but we have to come back to look for justice and to fight for my brother and all other victims," he said in the same press briefing. He also said life has been “difficult" for the bereaved families ever since the incident. “Those injured are still suffering from the pain in their body and in their heart. The family of the deceased are still feeling lost," he said. He likewise said that he wants the Philippine government to recognize the “value" of the lives lost during the tragedy. “We come here for the justice and for the value of the deceased and the one we love," he said. Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda earlier said the Aquino government has already met all the demands of the families of the victims of the hostage taking. He said the Philippine government has already apologized for what happened, provided compensation for the victims’ kin, prosecuted people responsible for the bungled rescue, and beefed up security for foreign tourists. - VVP, GMA News