HONG KONG: Hong Kong and the Philippines announced yesterday they had resolved an enduring and deeply emotional row over a deadly hostage crisis, allowing soured diplomatic relations to return to normal.
The breakthrough came after a deal was struck on the most sensitive issues of compensation to the victims of the tragedy, which saw eight tourists from Hong Kong killed following a bus hijacking in Manila in 2010, as well as an apology.
“The resolution of the incident enables the normalisation of the bilateral relations between Hong Kong and the Philippines,” the Chinese territory’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying, told reporters after the deal was struck.
Hong Kong had long been infuriated by the Philippine government’s response to the incident, in which a disgraced ex-Manila police officer hijacked a tour bus in protest at his sacking.
Day-long negotiations to release the hostages trapped on the bus failed and, with the drama being broadcast live around the world, Filipino security forces bungled a rescue attempt. The security forces shot dead the hijacker, but eight of the Hong Kong tourists died and seven others were injured.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino admitted mistakes were made in the rescue efforts, but refused to apologise on behalf of the government because he said the hijacker caused the crisis.
Aquino’s refusal to apologise was one of the key factors that led to Hong Kong imposing in February visa restrictions against Philippine government officials.
AFP
