Turmoil with HK quiets down as Filipinos mark Manila bus tragedy's anniversary

Crowds gathered in Manila this afternoon to mark the fourth anniversary of the bus hostage tragedy which claimed the lives of eight Hong Kong tourists, laying flowers and lighting candles.

It is the first year that the annual memorial has not been mired by political turmoil over demands for compensation and an official apology from the Filipino government.

On August 23, 2010, a sacked police officer Rolando Mendoza hijacked a Hong Kong tour bus with 25 passengers.

After an 11-hour standoff, the former cop was shot dead in a botched rescue attempt that lasted 90-minute and culminated in a gun battle.

This April, after three years of strained ties that included sanctions, the Philippines expressed its “most sorrowful regret and profound sympathy” over the tragedy, stopping short of an apology.

The families of those affected received an undisclosed sum in compensation, which they described as reasonable. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said that the sum was around HK$20 million.

Earlier this month, about 30 monks from Hong Kong joined Manila officials and representatives from Hong Kong at the site of the tragedy where a golden shrine was erected for Buddhist rituals.