Society

Mourners on the march in Hong Kong

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-30 07:43

HONG KONG - Tens of thousands of people joined a rally in Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon to demand justice for victims of the Manila hostage bloodbath, as the city's Filipino community staged its own memorials for the dead.

People in Hong Kong hold a street rally on Sunday to express their grief and anger in the wake of the Manila hostage tragedy and demand justice for the victims. Eight Hong Kong tourists died in last week's bus hijacking and botched rescue. [Photo by Edmond Tang / China Daily]

Demonstrators voiced their anger over the Philippine government's handling of the siege in the heart of Manila last Monday, which left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.

"It's too late for the governments to do anything, but we hope that, at the very least, the Philippine authorities could tell us the truth," said Daisy Kwong, a telecoms firm project manager.

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"I cried for hours after watching the tragedy play out live on TV," she said.

In a brief speech before the march, Jasper Tsang, president of Hong Kong's Legislative Council, spoke on behalf of the city's 60 lawmakers, expressing shock and sorrow over the incident and extending condolences to the victims of the tragedy and their families.

Tsang said lawmakers had blasted the Philippine authorities for their blunders in handling the crisis. Lawmakers also pressed the Hong Kong government to demand that the Philippine authorities conduct a thorough investigation as soon as possible and strive for direct involvement in the investigation.

The sea of demonstrators observed three minutes of silence as they gathered in Victoria Park, many wearing yellow ribbons and carrying white flowers, the traditional Chinese color of mourning.

At around 3 pm, demonstrators began to leave the park and marched towards the Chater Garden in Central district on the island. They held banners in black that had messages such as "deepest condolences to the families of the victims" and "demand a thorough probe into the truth of the incident".

A girl takes part in the march from Victoria Park to Chater Garden in Hong Kong's Central district. [Photo by Edmond Tang / China Daily]

Hong Kong police estimated that some 20,000 people poured into Victoria Park and expected more to join the procession during the march. The organizers said earlier that they expected more than 50,000 people would participate in the march.

Members of the city's 200,000-strong Filipino community, the vast majority of which work as low-paid domestic help, have voiced fears of retribution.

Rally organizers asked demonstrators not to carry racially charged placards or chant discriminatory slogans.

Filipino groups staged their own events on Sunday in remembrance of the victims, including a candlelight vigil.

Philippine vice-consul Val Roque said a text message was sent to members of the community, asking them to "set aside what they are doing" and attend memorial masses on Sunday.

Disgraced ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza, armed with an assault rifle, hijacked a busload of Hong Kong tourists on Monday in an apparent bid to win his old job back and be cleared of extortion charges.

Eight tourists and the gunman were killed in the final stages of the 12-hour ordeal, when the police launched an assault on the bus in a drama that unfolded live on television screens around the world.

Philippine police said on Sunday they are certain that the Hong Kong tourists were killed by Mendoza, rather than by police bullets during the rescue operation.

AFP - Xinhua