Fury in Hong Kong over Manila bloodbath
HONG KONG — The Philippines faced fury in Hong Kong Tuesday as the territory plunged into mourning for eight tourists mown down in Manila, with flags at half-mast and share traders…
HONG KONG — The Philippines faced fury in Hong Kong Tuesday as the territory plunged into mourning for eight tourists mown down in Manila, with flags at half-mast and share traders holding a minute's silence.One Hong Kong survivor of Monday's day-long bus siege in the Philippine capital said her husband and two daughters were killed in a hail of bullets as the crisis reached a dramatic climax live on television.Her son was in intensive care in hospital, said the survivor, identifying herself only as Mrs Leung."The Philippine government.... I can't accept this. Why did they do this to us?" she told Hong Kong officials flown to the Manila hospital in comments shown on Cable News TV. "(The gunman) did not want to kill us. He only shot us after the negotiations failed," she said, sobbing.The Hong Kong government raised a "black" travel alert for the Philippines, urging against all travel to one of Southeast Asia's most popular tourist spots. Tour groups said they were cancelling all organised visits.The government organised two chartered flights by Hong Kong's flag carrier Cathay Pacific to take relatives of the hostages, as well as psychologists, doctors and social workers, to Manila.Flags on government buildings flew at half-mast as a mark of respect for the victims, who were part of a Hong Kong tour group, and the normally hectic stock exchange paused in silence at the start of Tuesday's trading.Lurid photographs of the bloodbath dominated the front pages of the Hong Kong press, with a few Chinese-language newspapers changing their mast-head colour from red to black in mourning.Editorials echoed the southern Chinese territory's leader in querying the response of Philippine authorities."The way it is handled -- particularly the outcome -- is very disappointing," Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang told reporters late Monday.Newspapers bemoaned missed opportunities to end the siege much earlier, including when the gunman -- a disgraced former senior police inspector -- had waved from the bus door."A large
last modification 2010-08-24 05:55:32
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