"Manila bus hostages killed"

[Turborama]

Source: Al Jazeera English

The driver of a bus seized by a heavily armed gunman in the Philippine capital says all remaining hostages inside the bus have been killed.

Mar Reyes, a police major, told Al Jazeera that the driver, who escaped the bus after it was taken hostage on Monday, confirmed that the gunman had killed the captives.

Several gunshots could be heard as police approached the bus in Manila, but the authorities could not immediately get inside even after breaking the windows, live television images showed.

"Right now they are trying to get into the bus, the hijacker is still alive," Reyes told Al Jazeera.

Read more: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2010/08/201082312315581853.html

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Live coverage via free video stream here: http://www.livestation.com/channels/3-al_jazeera_english

[rasputin1952]

1. A lesson on how not to deal w/these things...

:(

It is virtually impossible to negotiate w/individuals who are on a "mission". As callous as this sounds, a sniper from a distance could have handled this better. The demise of one maniac v the # of innocents murdered...pull the trigger on the maniac.

[formercia]

2. I agree.

even an RPG is directional enough that hostages to the sides just a few feet away would survive without serious injuries.

[Turborama]

3. Update: 8 killed on hijacked Philippine tourist bus

By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer – 47 mins ago

MANILA, Philippines – A 12-hour hostage drama aboard a Philippine bus ended in bloodshed Monday, with at least seven Chinese tourists dead along with the disgruntled ex-policeman who hijacked the vehicle and demanded his job back, officials said.

At least six captives survived, four of whom were seen crawling out the back door of the bus after Philippine police stormed it Monday evening when the hostage-taker started shooting at the 15 Chinese tourists inside, said police Senior Superintendent Nelson Yabut.

He said the hostage-taker was killed with a sniper shot to the head after he wounded a police sharpshooter.

Police and ambulances were lined up next to the vehicle in the pouring rain after the standoff ended. Local hospitals reported seven bodies of hostages were brought in. One other hostage was hospitalized in critical condition, and five others were unharmed.

Officials have yet to disclose the fate of the remaining two hostages.

More details, videos and slideshow: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100823/ap_on_re_as/as_philippines_bus_hostages

[superconnected]

4. So 16 were killed. Oh this is horrible.

He was a cop that wanted his job back. I don't think sooo! What a crazy murderer and he didn't even have the guts to kill himself instead of the innocent.

[cowcommander]

5. Video of the police taking action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRt1aNsNM0c

This is horrible, the cops didn't know what they were doing! :(

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. I hate to say this, but I have lived in the Philippines and do sitll part of they year

and, oh well....

[pampango]

7. Hong Kong warns against Philippines travel after deaths

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11067310

Hong Kong has expressed angry shock at the Philippines after the deaths of eight of its tourists in a bus hijack, cancelling all travel to the country. Questions have been raised over how police failed to enter the bus before eight tourists were shot by a rogue policeman. The UK's Foreign Office has now confirmed that two of the survivors are British nationals.

"China has requested the Philippine side to take pragmatic measures to ensure life and property safety of Chinese nationals in the country," he said. Hong Kong's chief executive, Donald Tsang, said he was disappointed with the handling of the incident, and protests were reported outside the Philippine consulate in Hong Kong.

Philippine presidential spokesman Ricky Carandang said he was concerned about the level of public anger in Hong Kong, citing anecdotal reports of apparent retaliatory actions against Filipinos. "We understand the anger and the dismay over the people of Hong Kong but at the same time, we don't think it's right that our ordinary citizens who had nothing to do with this should be paying the price," he said.

Survivors and experts have criticised the police for being indecisive and slow in their handling of the crisis. One of the survivors, who identified herself only as Mrs Leung, told reporters: "Why was there no-one to help us after so many hours?"

[pampango]

8. Ten things the Philippines bus siege police got wrong - BBC

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11069616



1. Determination

The first officers who tried to storm the bus were driven out by gunshots from the hostage taker, former policeman Rolando Mendoza. "They showed great courage to go on board. It's very crowded, just one aisle down the middle of the bus. But once you get on board it's not unexpected you are going to be fired at. Squads like this have to be made up of very special people, specially trained and selected for their characteristics of courage, determination and aggression. In this case they acted as 99% of the population would have, which was to turn round and get out. They didn't seem to have the necessary determination and aggression to follow the attack through."

2. Lack of equipment

The police spent a long time smashing the windows of the bus, whereas explosive charges (known as frame charges) would have knocked in windows and doors instantly. "They had no ladders to get through the windows. They smashed the windows but didn't know what to do next," Mr Shoebridge says. "They almost looked like a group of vandals." Their firearms were also inappropriate - some had pistols, some had assault rifles. Ideally they would have carried a short submachine gun, suitable for use in confined spaces.

5. Satisfying the gunman's demands

"I wondered why the authorities just didn't give in to all of his demands," says Charles Shoebridge. "A promise extracted under force is not a promise that you are required to honour. Nobody wants to give in to the demands of terrorists, but in a situation like this, which did not involve a terrorist group, or release of prisoners, they could have just accepted his demands. He could be reinstated in the police - and then be immediately put in prison for life for hostage taking." The Philippines authorities did in fact give in to the gunman's demands, but too little, too late. One message promised to review his case, while he wanted it formally dismissed. A second message reinstating him as a police offer only arrived after the shooting had started.

6. Televised proceedings

The gunman was able to follow events on television, revealing to him everything that was going on around him. This was a "crucial defect in the police handling", Mr Shoebridge says. He adds that police should always consider putting a barrier or screen around the area, to shield the scene from the cameras and keep the hostage taker in the dark.