My comment is live on the World News Network on August 24,2010 on the Subject: "Hong Kong bans Philippines travel after hijack deaths":BBC News 2010-08-24.

With best compliments,
B.N.Singh.
Subject: "Hong Kong bans Philippines travel after hijack deaths":BBC News 2010-08-24.

Bishwa Nath Singh from Dalmianagar (Bihar),India:
How unfortunate and sad incidence as tourists were made victims and killed on Monday, the 23rd of August 2010 in the Philippines when a sacked police officer seized a tourist bus and opened fire at his hostages before he was killed by police. Six of the dead were Chinese passengers held for more than ten hours inside the air-conditioned bus in a seaside park in Manila city, according to doctors at two hospitals where they were rushed up for treatment.. The Chinese government has also demanded a thorough investigation of how the tragedy was handled. Questions have been raised over how police failed to enter the bus before eight tourists were shot by a rogue policeman. The UK's Foreign Office has now confirmed that two of the survivors are British nationals. The police commander in the Philippine capital of Manila, Leocadio Santiago, has defended the way his force dealt with the hostage-taking. He told local television that it had been correct to let the siege continue until the bus driver escaped and reported that the hijacker had started shooting hostages. Police then assaulted the bus, killing the hijacker, a disgruntled former policeman called Rolando Mendoza. In Hong Kong, a "black" travel warning has been raised, which urges all travel to the Philippines to be cancelled and calls on Hong Kong people in the Philippines to leave as soon as possible. Around Hong Kong, flags are hanging at half-mast. The stock exchange planned a minute's silence for the hijack victims. Anger, disbelief and grief is the mood in Hong Kong following the hostage drama in the Philippines. Members of some of Hong Kong's political parties demonstrated outside the Philippine consulate in the southern Chinese city, expressing their fury at how Manila had handled the violent situation. Several of Hong Kong's daily newspapers changed their mastheads from red to black, the city's flags flew at half-mast and a daily laser spectacular which takes place across high buildings around Hong Kong's iconic harbour was cancelled to show a city in mourning. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange held a minute of silence, as Philippine consular officials expressed concern for the large Filipino population in Hong Kong. Two planes, carrying doctors and counsellors, have been chartered to bring back the survivors of the incident. China was appalled by the murders. The Chinese government demands the Philippine government launch a thorough investigation into the incident and inform the Chinese side of related details as soon as possible," Mr Yang said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said China had already sent a team to Manila handle the aftermath. China has requested the Philippine side to take pragmatic measures to ensure life and property safety of Chinese nationals in the country," he said .Hong Kong's chief executive, Donald Tsang, said he was disappointed with the handling of the incident, and protests were reported outside the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong. Philippine President Benigno Aquino promised a "thorough investigation" into the incident. Survivors and experts have criticised the police for being indecisive and slow in their handling of the crisis One of the survivors, who identified herself only as Mrs Leung, told reporters as why was there no-one to help us after so many hours. She said her husband had been killed trying to stop the gunman from shooting other passengers. She missed her loving husband. She actually wanted to die with him. But she thought of her children that is what she said with swollen eyes. Let us condole the tragedy and death of all those who lost their precious lives and pray to God to grant eternal peace to their departed soul in heavenly abode and urge the Philippines Govt. to get this incidence thoroughly probed in by an independent and impartial commission and adequately compensate the nearest kith and kin of all those who lost their lives and all seriously injured at earliest!

World News Network
August 24,2010.