Bodies, survivors of Manila hijack drama head home

[August 25, 2010]  MANILA, Philippines (AP) -- Most survivors of this week's tragic hostage drama in Manila flew home to Hong Kong on Wednesday, along with the bodies of eight slain tourists, while the Philippines grappled with outrage over its mishandling of the standoff.

"None of us wanted this outcome," President Benigno Aquino III told reporters.

The interior secretary has acknowledged police were ill-prepared and that a series of lapses might have led to bloodshed Monday when the hostage-taker, a disgruntled ex-policeman demanding his job back, opened fire on hostages. Eight of the bus passengers were killed in the standoff and others were wounded. A police sniper eventually killed the hostage-taker.

He had released nine other passengers hours earlier. Seven others were rescued from the bullet-riddled bus, three of them in serious condition.

One of the injured will remain in intensive care in Manila and another will be transported home on a medivac plane, said Hong Kong Undersecretary for Security T.K. Lai.

The rest flew home aboard a chartered Cathay Pacific plane together with the eight coffins, which were loaded onto the aircraft after a Buddhist ceremony and a send-off by a Philippine navy honor guard.

Aquino, facing his first major crisis since taking office on June 30, declared Wednesday a national day of mourning in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong. Flags were lowered at government offices and embassies.

China demanded a full investigation. The Chinese ambassador visited Aquino on Tuesday, and the president said he talked on the phone with Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang. Aquino said he "expressed our sorrow and grief ... and we begged for their understanding."

Philippine Interior Secretary Jessie Robredo, who is in charge of the national police, has acknowledged there were problems with how the crisis was handled, including inadequacies in preparation, equipment and training.

Manila police Chief Rodolfo Magtibay took leave and four leaders of the assault team were relieved pending an investigation. The firearms used by 200 police commandos will be subjected to ballistic tests to determine if some of the hostages were hit by police gunfire, officials said.

Police recovered about 60 empty shells from an M-16 rifle, the same firearm used by hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza, inside the bus.

Authorities have also been criticized for failing to prevent Mendoza's brother, Gregorio, who is also a policeman, from intervening in the negotiations.

"He wasn't even cleared when he entered the scene," Aquino said of Gregorio, who has been charged with obstruction of justice. "When he entered, they discovered he was armed."

Police officials said Gregorio urged his brother not to continue the talks unless authorities returned Gregorio's firearm, which was confiscated from him during the standoff. Gregorio then threw a tantrum in front of TV cameras, which were broadcasting the daylong drama live, apparently prompting his brother to start shooting.

The bus driver, Alberto Lubang, who said he escaped as the hostage-taker opened fire, said the gunman was watching  on a TV inside the hijacked bus as Gregorio resisted being handcuffed and was loaded into a police car.

Britain's Foreign Office said two of the hostages who were released were British nationals. Three of the fatalities were Canadian citizens, Philippine police said.

Survivor Amy Ng mourned the deaths of her husband, Ken Leung, who she said confronted the gunman, and daughters Doris and Jessie, aged 21 and 14. Her son, Jason, was wounded in the head and she will stay in Manila with him until he is able to fly back.

"I thought I would fight for survival so I could take care of my children, but two of them have already died," a sobbing Ng said Tuesday.

Bedridden Tracey Wong, 15, told Hong Kong reporters she hid under a seat on the bus while Mendoza fired at the hostages.

"I want to find daddy and mommy quickly and see if they're OK," she said. But Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported that both her parents were among those killed.

Tour operator Hong Thai Travel Services general manager Susanna Lau praised a slain tour guide, 31-year-old Masa Tse, for his vigilance and decade-long service. TV footage showed him peeking out of the bus during his captivity and later with one hand handcuffed to a position near the bus door.

[Associated Press; By OLIVER TEVES]

Associated Press writers Jim Gomez, Teresa Cerojano and Hrvoje Hranjski in Manila, and Min Lee in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

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