Philippines braced for tourism fallout

The Philippines is braced for a major tourism setback after eight tourists from Hong Kong were killed when a bus was hijacked in Manila by a sacked policeman armed with an M-16 assault rifle.

After the tragic 12-hour siege, Philippine police conceded they had committed a number of blunders during the incident, as outrage grew over the bloody assault that was played out on live television.

Commandos fired bullets into the tourist bus and smashed its windows with sledgehammers, but then waited outside for more than an hour as the hijacker used his captives as human shields.

The stand-off in Manila’s tourist district on Monday finally ended when police fired tear gas into the bus and a sniper shot the gunman in the head. But eight of the tourists had been killed out of 23 onboard.

The hijacker, a sacked policeman who was demanding his reinstatement in the force, also died, and a number of hostages were also injured.

Source: BTN

25.08.10