https://www.scmp.com/rss/265935/feed On August 23, 2010, seven Hong Kong tourists and their tour guide were killed in Manila and 13 others injured when a disgruntled former police officer opened fire on a tourist bus after hijacking it. Upset with the Philippine government's handling of the crisis and its ensuing investigation, Hong Kong issued a black travel alert against the island nation. The two governments and victims' families reached an agreement in 2014 in which the survivors and victims' families accepted an undisclosed... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com This article was first published in the South China Morning Post on August 24, 2010. It has been republished online as part of Hong Kong 25, which looks at how the city has changed since the handover, and what its future holds. By Dennis Eng and Raissa Robles in Manila, Martin Wong and Tanna Chong Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen criticised the handling of a hostage crisis in Manila last night in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed and two critically injured. Police commandos stormed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3178192/august-23-2010-7-hong-kong-tourists-and-guide-killed-manila?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3178192/august-23-2010-7-hong-kong-tourists-and-guide-killed-manila?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jun 2022 08:30:23 +0000 No one expected the Manila tour bus hostage incident in 2010 would be raised again during Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Hong Kong. But the Philippines president surprised everyone with a formal apology over the horrific saga, in which eight Hongkongers were killed in a botched rescue. The apology, which came four years after a settlement had been made, is long overdue. It is nonetheless welcome news. As the saying goes, it is never too late to apologise. That vindication comes after those... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2141757/dutertes-apology-over-manila-tour-bus-hostage-incident-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/2141757/dutertes-apology-over-manila-tour-bus-hostage-incident-long?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Apr 2018 17:36:53 +0000 Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took Hong Kong by complete surprise on Thursday, making a full public apology for the Manila bus hostage crisis that left nine people dead nearly eight years ago.   On his second visit to the city in 10 months, the outspoken leader upended his predecessor’s steadfast refusal to accept the blame for the botched rescue attempt that resulted in the deaths of eight Hongkongers and the rogue policeman who hijacked their tour bus. “For the first time – the Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2141503/duterte-apologises-hong-kong-victims-manila-hostage-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2141503/duterte-apologises-hong-kong-victims-manila-hostage-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Apr 2018 14:30:15 +0000 The weekly meeting involving Hong Kong’s top officials during which a decision was made to defer a key part of a controversial housing project in January 2014 is the government’s high-level clearing house for major issues. The housing project in Yuen Long was one of many issues discussed at the weekly high-level meeting on January 27, 2014, attended by Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, Financial Secretary John Tsang Chun-wah and Secretary for Justice... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2021698/controversial-hong-kong-housing-decision-made-weekly-three-c?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/2021698/controversial-hong-kong-housing-decision-made-weekly-three-c?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Sep 2016 12:15:15 +0000 A survivor of the Manila hostage crisis cheated death again on Wednesday night when his Ferrari burst into flames at a busy junction in Tsim Sha Tsui. Joe Chan Kwok-chu, 51, was driving along the east-bound lane of Jordan Road at about 7pm when smoke began pouring from the engine. With half the car engulfed in flames, Chan managed to get out of the vehicle unharmed. He bought the car in 2008 for about HK$3.2 million. Firemen took a few minutes to extinguish the flames. No one else was reported... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1774125/manila-bus-siege-survivors-hk32m-ferrari-catches-fire-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1774125/manila-bus-siege-survivors-hk32m-ferrari-catches-fire-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2015 03:02:56 +0000 Outrage and criticism were to be expected after the Philippines apparently imposed an entry ban on nine Hong Kong journalists who door-stepped President Benigno Aquino last year over the Manila hostage tragedy in 2010. They were reportedly blacklisted as "undesirable", merely because they had hurled questions at the leader when he walked past an unrestricted zone at the Apec summit venue in Indonesia. The disclosure has, unsurprisingly, unleashed strong responses from journalist groups in both... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1647928/philippine-decision-ban-hong-kong-journalists-affront-press?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1647928/philippine-decision-ban-hong-kong-journalists-affront-press?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2014 21:15:45 +0000 The Philippines has tried hard to end its diplomatic row with Hong Kong after the 2010 hostage killings in Manila. But by banning nine Hong Kong journalists from entering the country to cover next year's Apec summit, it will only rekindle resentment and likely retaliation from Hong Kong. It is an appalling and unwise move. The nine journalists are from Now TV, Commercial Radio and RTHK, three of the city's major electronic news organisations. They are being blacklisted apparently because all... https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1645781/philippines-banning-hong-kong-journalists-petty-and-vindictive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1645781/philippines-banning-hong-kong-journalists-petty-and-vindictive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2014 21:15:45 +0000 Hospital chiefs may still face legal action over the treatment of Manila bus hostage survivor Yik Siu-ling, four years after a botched rescue in the Philippine capital left eight Hongkongers dead and seven injured. Yik's lawyers said they were still studying details of a report into her treatment at the Prince of Wales Hospital and were awaiting copies of key emails. The news emerged as crowds gathered in Manila yesterday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the killing of seven Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1580243/surviving-manila-bus-hostage-still-weighing-hospital-lawsuit-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1580243/surviving-manila-bus-hostage-still-weighing-hospital-lawsuit-over?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2014 20:45:45 +0000 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1580086/turmoil-hk-quiets-down-filipinos-mark-manila-bus-tragedys-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1580086/turmoil-hk-quiets-down-filipinos-mark-manila-bus-tragedys-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Aug 2014 12:15:30 +0000 It is encouraging to see a deal made between the Philippine government and the victims' families to end a 32-month stand-off over the Manila hostage tragedy, which claimed the lives of eight Hongkongers in 2010. I am sure it is a relief for the families, who can now put the tragedy behind them and move on. It is also the most appropriate way to remember the dead. The Philippine government did fall short of a full apology, but it was a compromise made to move forward. The incident provides some... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1507580/manila-deal-can-inform-debate-political-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1507580/manila-deal-can-inform-debate-political-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 May 2014 19:36:56 +0000 A brother of the tour guide killed in the 2010 Manila bus hijacking blamed a lack of "engagement" by the administration of former chief executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen for the prolonged delay in Hong Kong reaching a diplomatic resolution with the Philippines. Tse Chi-hang also confirmed that Philippine officials - who reached a deal on Wednesday with relatives of the eight Hongkongers who were killed, which included a public expression of "most sorrowful regret" - did privately apologise for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1496585/tsang-blamed-delay-manila-hostage-crisis-settlement?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1496585/tsang-blamed-delay-manila-hostage-crisis-settlement?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Apr 2014 04:30:15 +0000 Hong Kong can finally normalise relations with the Philippines. It never made much sense to ensnare our entire community and government over the Manila bus hostage crisis. But that we did. Contrary to the inflammatory front page of a certain local Chinese-language newspaper yesterday, the settlement reached this week between the families of the victims and the Philippine government should be welcome. Philippine President Benigno Aquino made a complete mess in the handling of the aftermath of the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1496243/no-winners-manila-bus-hostage-row-finally-ends?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1496243/no-winners-manila-bus-hostage-row-finally-ends?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2014 19:58:51 +0000 Time heals all wounds, goes the old saying. But for those who lost loved ones in the Manila tour bus hostage tragedy in 2010, it takes more to bring the case to an end. For nearly four years, survivors and the victims' relatives have been fighting for redress, only to be cold-shouldered by those concerned with indifference and diplomatic red tape. While their pain and grievances are shared by the community, their ordeal is not something we could possibly claim to understand. With the fourth... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1495384/after-apology-sorts-manila-its-time-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1495384/after-apology-sorts-manila-its-time-move?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Apr 2014 19:45:15 +0000 More than three years of strained ties over the 2010 Manila bus hostage crisis ended yesterday. The Philippines expressed its "most sorrowful regret and profound sympathy" over the tragedy which claimed the lives of eight Hong Kong people. A joint statement issued by the two governments announced the immediate lifting of sanctions against Philippines officials and a "black" travel alert imposed shortly after the incident. Watch: Hong Kong says Philippine hostage row over The families of those... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1495132/hong-kong-philippines-resolve-bus-hostage-crisis-families-accept?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1495132/hong-kong-philippines-resolve-bus-hostage-crisis-families-accept?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Apr 2014 08:15:00 +0000 Yik Siu-ling, who was shot in the face during the Manila bus hostage siege in 2010, will return to the city on January 10 after a successful operation in Taiwan to rebuild her shattered lower jaw. "Thanks to the successful operation by Dr Wei Fu-chan, I have great confidence that I'll be able to lead a normal life again," Yik said by telephone yesterday. The 37-year-old went to Taiwan on December 11 and had surgery a week later at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital after 33 unsuccessful attempts in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1390175/manila-bus-survivor-yik-siu-ling-recovering-taiwan-after-operation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1390175/manila-bus-survivor-yik-siu-ling-recovering-taiwan-after-operation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Dec 2013 06:32:39 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying hinted yesterday that a deal to secure an apology and compensation from the Philippines for the victims of the 2010 Manila hostage tragedy could be near. Leung's comments have been taken as an indication that he will not carry through his threat on November 5 to impose sanctions on Manila if it failed to come up with a deal within a month. The deadline passes today. "The progress we have made so far makes us hopeful," Leung said yesterday. "I hope that the demands... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1372726/cy-leung-hints-deal-over-manila-hostage-tragedy-could-be-close?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1372726/cy-leung-hints-deal-over-manila-hostage-tragedy-could-be-close?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Dec 2013 04:45:30 +0000 Following Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino in Indonesia earlier this month, the hyperbolic denunciations heaped on the government are a looking-glass through which Hong Kong people can see their self-centredness and detachment from reality. There is a marked difference in reaction to this incident between local residents with international exposure and those apparently without. The former, including some columnists and readers of this newspaper,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1339718/madness-anti-manila-brigade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1339718/madness-anti-manila-brigade?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2013 21:00:30 +0000 When a bus full of Hong Kong tourists was taken hostage and eight of them were killed in Manila three years ago, the local community was shocked. Watching the tragedy unfold on the television screen was traumatic, and left us feeling outraged yet helpless. A backlash was to be expected. After the crisis, I wrote about the need to rein in any feelings of superiority - turning into collective anger - towards domestic helpers and people of Filipino origin in Hong Kong. We might have felt helpless... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1257182/racial-taunting-must-not-be-tolerated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1257182/racial-taunting-must-not-be-tolerated?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:00:00 +0000 50-cent taxi case symptom of 'sickness' Has our society lost all its marbles or collective brainpower to spend taxpayers' money on something so trivial? I suppose most readers would be troubled by the front-page news ("Taxi driver cleared in 50-cent court case", May 17). The passenger cited in the article paid HK$136.50 for the cab ride. When she discovered she was short-changed by 50 cents the case was reported to the police. We learn that the driver, Tam Hoi-chi, endured a six-month ordeal,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1246028/letters-editor-may-26-2013?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/1246028/letters-editor-may-26-2013?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 May 2013 16:00:00 +0000 What exactly is terrorism? People around the world instantly recognised it when two bombs exploded at the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring numerous others. But the Obama administration had to mull it over for a day before classifying the attack as terrorism. To me, terrorism is when a religious fanatic, a lunatic or a crazy youth terrorises people with bombs or assault weapons. When 20-year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree last December at an elementary school in Newtown,... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218511/mass-murderers-are-all-terrorists-whatever-weapon-they-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1218511/mass-murderers-are-all-terrorists-whatever-weapon-they-use?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The Philippines remains as dangerous a country to visit as war-torn Syria, according to the Hong Kong government. More than two-and-a-half years after the Manila hostage crisis, security chiefs still refuse to lift the black travel alert. And that's despite new figures showing that more Hong Kong and mainland tourists are visiting the Philippines than ever before. Seven Hong Kong tourists and their guide were shot dead when a sacked Manila police officer hijacked their tour bus in the city's... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1136871/philippines-risky-syria-hong-kong-tourists-black-travel-alert-remains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1136871/philippines-risky-syria-hong-kong-tourists-black-travel-alert-remains?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Jan 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The brother of a tour guide killed in the 2010 Manila bus tragedy appealed for legal aid in the High Court on Friday, so that he can continue his campaign against the Philippine government. The court reserved its decision in the case, said Tse Chi-kin, the older brother of slain tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chunn, speaking after the closed-door hearing. Tse has twice asked for legal aid but been rejected for unspecified reasons. He is seeking a formal apology and compensation from the Philippine... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1059598/brother-manila-bus-hijack-victim-appeals-legal-aid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1059598/brother-manila-bus-hijack-victim-appeals-legal-aid?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Oct 2012 08:53:30 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying cancelled his trip to tomorrow's Apec leaders' summit in Russia to deal with the controversies on his own doorstep. Leung must defuse the turmoil over national education, as well as decide on a scheme to restrict sales of new homes to Hong Kong buyers. He also has to deal with the issue of the influx of visitors after the relaxation of permit rules for residents in Shenzhen and five other mainland cities. News of the cancellation came nine hours before he was due... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1030346/education-crisis-forces-leung-axe-apec-summit-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1030346/education-crisis-forces-leung-axe-apec-summit-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying met survivors of the Manila hostage tragedy yesterday, and promised to pass on their demands for compensation and an apology to the Philippine leader when they meet at a regional summit this week. Leung and Philippine President Benigno Aquino are due to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit in Vladivostok, Russia, on Friday and Saturday. Tse Chi-hang, a spokesman for the victims and their relatives, told the media after the meeting that Leung... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1029581/leung-chun-ying-raise-manila-hostage-issues-apec-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1029581/leung-chun-ying-raise-manila-hostage-issues-apec-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Survivors and relatives of victims of the Manila hostage crisis launched a new petition yesterday urging President Hu Jintao to help them seek justice. They launched a similar campaign last year, collecting nearly 10,000 signatures asking Hu to help the families of the eight who died and seven injured when sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza hijacked a tour bus and opened fire on August 23, 2010. Mendoza was then shot dead by a sniper. The group is demanding that the Philippine government... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1024739/new-plea-president-hu-manila-hostage-crisis-campaigners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1024739/new-plea-president-hu-manila-hostage-crisis-campaigners?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Survivors and relatives of victims of the Manila hostage crisis are considering visiting the Philippines again to seek a meeting with President Benigno Aquino after "disappointing" talks with the country's consul general. Yesterday marked the second anniversary of the bus siege, in which seven Hong Kong tourists and their guide were shot dead by sacked policeman Rolando Mendoza, who was later killed in a bungled rescue operation. The families and survivors are demanding a government apology,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1022027/manila-hostage-crisis-campaigners-step-fight-justice-two-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1022027/manila-hostage-crisis-campaigners-step-fight-justice-two-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim Lim abandoned the command post at a crucial moment and ordered the arrest of police officer Gregorio Mendoza - a move his brother, hostage taker Captain Rolando Mendoza, saw on TV and which led to the killing spree. Lim faced charges of neglect and misconduct in office, but the case is pending while Lim prepares to run for a third and final term as Manila mayor next year. Manila Vice-Mayor Francisco Moreno The presidential palace found no basis to charge Moreno with... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1021309/main-players-manila-hostage-crisis-where-are-they-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1021309/main-players-manila-hostage-crisis-where-are-they-now?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000