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An inquest opened Monday into the Manila bus hijacking that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead, six months after a diplomatic row erupted over the Philippines' handling of the August incident. Several victims' family members briefly testified on the first day of the 25-day hearing at Hong Kong Coroner's Court, which is also set to hear evidence from survivors of the botched police rescue attempt. One relative of the dead told the court the Philippines was "backward." Staff from the trip's tour operator were slated to testify at the inquest, but none of the 116 Filipino witnesses - including police officers, the bus driver and a reporter who spoke to Mendoza - have confirmed their attendance. Families of the victims yesterday hit out at the lack of clarity over who will testify, with one calling it "very disappointing." Local media quoted government lawyer Jat Sew-tong as saying some witnesses would testify through video conferencing, but did not state their number or identities. On Saturday, a spokeswoman for Aquino said an investigator would attend the hearing but only to present the results of the Philippines' own probe. As the drama unfolded live on television networks worldwide on August 23, Filipino officers stormed the bus and shot dead lone gunman Rolando Mendoza, a disgraced ex-cop who seized the bus in a bid to be reinstated after losing his job over corruption allegations. However, eight tourists died in the bungled rescue, and Hong Kong afterward issued a travel alert for the Philippines, advising citizens not to visit the country. In October, Filipino President Benigno 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 for lesser administrative charges against the mayor of Manila, Alfredo Lim, as well as a deputy ombudsman. The move drew heavy criticism from officials and the general public in Hong Kong, stoking calls for an inquiry in the Chinese special administrative region. A Filipino government inquiry blamed Lim and the Manila police's handling of the crisis for the hostages' deaths. However, Lim controversially escaped any criminal prosecution after Aquino overruled his justice minister's recommendations. AFP |
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