Siege survivors demand Philippine witnesses
Mar 01, 2011
Survivors of the Manila bus siege and victims’ relatives yesterday demanded that the Philippine government send witnesses to testify at the Hong Kong inquest into the tragedy.
“Just a few months ago, Philippine government officials said they would give all possible assistance to the Hong Kong investigation, but so far these promises have been empty,” said Tse Chi-kin, brother of slain tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chunn.
At the half-way point in the scheduled 25-day inquest, not one of 116 Philippine witnesses summoned by the Coroner’s Court has appeared. Of those, 72 have refused to give evidence and 44 have yet to say whether they will appear.
Eight Hong Kong people were killed and seven injured on a tourist bus hijacked by sacked police officer Rolando Mendoza on August 23, after a bungled rescue attempt by Philippine police. In September, the Philippine government held its own inquiry.
In their statement, survivors and victims’ families said they were “disappointed” that the Philippine government had yet to clearly say whether any Philippine witnesses would testify in Hong Kong, whether in person or via video-link.
“This not only disregards the Coroner’s Court but is also in defiance of the eight people killed in the incident,” the statement said.
“We strongly demand the Philippine government take responsibility for fulfilling promises it made to send witnesses to testify in Hong Kong, out of respect for those killed in the tragedy.”
Tse said he and other victims’ family members decided to make the public appeal because of the Philippine government’s attitude.
“They just seem to have totally forgotten about the incident, and it’s like nothing happened at all,” Tse said.
Lee Ying-chuen, a survivor of the siege who drafted the statement, said: “As long as the hearing has not finished, we still hope they can send witnesses to testify in Hong Kong.”
The statement was signed by six survivors including Li Yick-biu and his wife, Li Tsui Fung-kwan, Lee’s mother Lo Kam-fun, Joe Chan Kwok-chu and Yick Siu-ling, as well as various members of the Tse family.
“This is the right thing to do for justice,” Tse said.
Philippine vice-consul Val Simon Roque said he had not seen the statement but would report all developments in Hong Kong to Manila.
He said any decision to attend the inquest was an individual one by the witness concerned.
Relatives of the siege victims said they had been supporting each other in the past seven months to help them cope with the trauma.
Lee said many survivors had suffered nightmares over the past seven months and had not slept well since the inquest started.
“Sometimes I still hear the sounds of gunshots,” Lee said.
Source: http://www.scmp.com/portal/site/SCMP/menuitem.2af62ecb329d3d7733492d9253a0a0a0/?vgnextoid=a5f274b892d6e210VgnVCM100000360a0a0aRCRD&ss=Hong+Kong&s=News
SCMP
Phyllis Tsang and Simpson Cheung
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