Kin of victims in Manila hostage crisis find 'apology' acceptable though not completely satisfactory
Hong Kong accepts Erap apology. Hong Kong Chief Executive Chun Ying Leung (right) accepts on behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government the apology delivered by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Wednesday, April 23, over the 2010 Manila hostage crisis. With it, Hong Kong adjusted the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for the Philippines from Black to Amber. Standing behind Leung are the relatives of the victims and some of the survivors of the tragedy. Ason Cañete
After nearly four years, families of victims of the bus hostage crisis in 2010 are getting some closure with the apology presented by the Manila city government in Hong Kong this week.
The families were presented with the scrolls bearing the Manila city council’s apology for the incident, Hong Kong’s The Standard reported Thursday.
The city council vowed to commemorate the deaths of the eight Hong Kong tourists with two days of prayer every year – on Aug. 23 and on the 14th day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
But The Standard also reported that while the families found the apology acceptable, they also deemed it “not completely satisfactory.”
Former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada led the Philippine “delegation” that presented the apology to Hong Kong officials.
The gesture prompted Hong Kong to lift sanctions on Philippine officials as well as downgrade a black travel alert on the Philippines.
Acceptable but not completely satisfactory
The Standard quoted Tse Chi-kin, brother of dead tour guide Masa Tse Ting-chunn, as saying the arrangement is “acceptable” though not completely satisfactory.
He said Philippine Cabinet Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, considered President Benigno Aquino III’s right-hand man, used the words “apologize” and “sorry” during Wednesday’s meeting but the letter from the Philippine police was worded as “please accept our most sorrowful regret.”
Still, Tse said they accepted the wording since rejecting it may mean more sanctions against the Philippines and affect innocent Filipinos.
“I hope the incident draws to a close and the victims can rest in peace while the injured can walk out of sorrow. I can’t tell whether I am happy with the result or wording,” he said.
“We never want to affect other people. If we insist to fight for justice, we may create another injustice,” he added.
“We want to end the entanglement,” added survivor Yik Siu-ling.
