HK CORONER REPORT SIMILAR TO FILIPINO OFFICIALS' IIRC FINDINGS - PCOO
MANILA, MARCH 29, 2011 (STAR) By Delon Porcalla - Findings by a five-man jury at Hong Kong's coroner court are similar to the report of the incident investigation and review committee (IIRC) that was formed by Filipino officials regarding the August 2010 hostage crisis that resulted in the killing of eight tourists from the Chinese region.
"The broad strokes are consistent with the IIRC findings. Hindi naman sa ganun na it was a slap on our face," said Secretary Ricky Carandang of the Presidential Communications Office (photo).
In an interview over government-run radio dzRB, Carandang insisted that he was "not shocked" by the Hong Kong government's findings, as these were in fact very similar to the probe conducted by the Department of Justice led by Secretary Leila de Lima.
"I wasn't shocked. I expected the findings to be more or less consistent with the IIRC findings," Carandang said, noting that even the Hong Kong officials themselves were not sold on the idea of imposing stricter travel advisory to the Philippines than to tsunami-hit Japan.
He said a Hong Kong official reported that the black travel advisory against the Philippines should be lifted since it is too unfair to the government, as it clearly shows that devastated Japan can wreak more havoc, following threats of nuclear radiation in the region.
He cited the improved peace and order situation in the country, the lower incidence of carjacking as well as the killing of journalists. Overall, the country is faring better now as compared to the previous administration, he said.
A Hong Kong inquest has concluded last week that Philippine officials contributed to the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists that were held hostage by a dismissed former police officer who commandeered their tour bus at the Quirino Grandstand on Aug. 23, 2010.
A five-member jury at coroner's court faulted Philippine authorities for not meeting the hostage-taker's demands quickly enough and lying to him. The jury said the bungled rescue operation also delayed medical treatment for two victims who might have been saved.
The review committee also found out that Filipino officials aggravated negotiations by failing to block media coverage of the gunman's brother's arrest, which outraged him, although the findings did not imply criminal or civil responsibility.
The coroner's court said it is "satisfied" with the decision of the jury. The results were released hours after the inquest wrapped up March 23.
The inquest included 31 Hong Kong witnesses and 10 from the Philippines.
The jury was directed to determine the victims' cause of death – including death by misadventure and unlawful killing – and whether they agreed or disagreed with statements made during the five-week hearing, the South China Morning Post reported.
[LAST AUGUST PHOTO - Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang (R) attends the press conference in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, south China, Aug. 23, 2010. Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said Monday night that seven Hong Kong tourists were killed and another eight injured, with two in serious conditions, in the abduction tragedy in the Philippines. (Xinhua/Li Qiuchan)]
A separate report said Coroner Michael Chan Pik-kiu told the jurors to answer eight questionnaires, each comprising a list of about 44 statements about events leading to the deaths of each of the eight hostages.
Jurors must answer "yes," "no" or "uncertain" to the statements, deducing whether the eight were "unlawfully killed."
The statements included one on whether the jury agrees the eight would have lived if Mendoza's demand to be reinstated in the police force had been properly addressed by Manila. Another is whether Mendoza used his M16 assault rifle to shoot the hostages.
"The coroner also reminded jurors that their findings must be based solely on evidence in court, saying they should not be influenced by media reports or commentaries," the report said.
"It was a tragedy that could have been avoided," Hectar Pun, a lawyer for the victims' families, was quoted as saying during his closing submissions. "It was because of the incompetence of the Philippines' police that eight people died and others were injured."
As the drama unfolded live on world television last August, police officers stormed the bus and shot dead lone gunman Mendoza, a disgraced ex-policeman who took a tourist bus hostage in a desperate bid to be reinstated after losing his job over corruption allegations.
Eight tourists died in the bungled rescue attempt, prompting outrage in Hong Kong that issued a travel alert for the Philippines, advising its citizens not to visit the popular travel destination.
The Hong Kong inquest, which will not assign criminal liability, heard minute-by-minute details of the crisis, including that Mendoza warned at least 10 times during telephone interviews with journalists that he would start shooting the hostages, reports said.
The hearing was also told that the gunman shot one handcuffed victim, Masa Tse, in the neck. Among the questions to jurors is whether police met Mendoza's demands in a "timely and appropriate manner" and if that was a factor in Tse's killing.
During the ensuing diplomatic row and with public anger running high in Hong Kong, some of the more than 100,000 Filipina maids in the southern Chinese city said they faced threats and harassment, and feared losing their jobs.
In October 2010, President Aquino called for minor criminal charges such as "neglect of duty" to be filed against four police officers for their role in the debacle and lesser administrative charges against Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and a deputy ombudsman.
The move drew heavy criticism from Hong Kong officials and people, stoking calls for an inquiry in the Chinese territory.
Hong Kong coroner's inquests are generally limited to probing the cause of a person's death.
A Philippine government inquiry blamed Lim and the Manila police's handling of the crisis for the hostages' deaths.
Lim escaped from criminal prosecution after Aquino overruled Justice Secretary De Lima's recommendations.
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