hong kong tourist trapped in bus in manila

Hostages die in Manila bus siege

Eight Hong Kong tourists killed in 11-hour standoff in the Philippine capital.

“On our first assault, Captain Mendoza was sprawled in the middle of the aisle and shot one of our operatives. On our second assault we killed him.”

Mendoza had been dismissed from the police force in 2008 over corruption allegations and seized the bus in a bid to to win his job back.

The 55-year-old, dressed in camouflage uniform and armed with a M16 rifle and a jungle knife, hitched a ride with the busload of tourists as they were visiting historic sites in Manila – then declared he was taking them hostage.

‘Acting slowly’

One of the survivors hit out at the Philippine authorities, saying they acted too slowly to free those held.

“There were so many people on the bus – no one came to our rescue. Why”? the woman, who identified herself as Mrs Leung, said in comments broadcast on Hong Kong’s Cable TV.

“We were in fear for so many hours. I find it really cruel.”

Benigno Aquino, the Philippine president, defended the actions of the police, saying authorities had initially believed Mendoza would surrender.

A total of 22 Hong Kong tourists and three Filipinos were initially on board the bus.

Mendoza released nine people, including three children and two of the Filipinos, during police negotiations.

The remaining Filipino, the bus driver, escaped when Mendoza began shooting at the hostages by nightfall.

During the standoff, negotiators had approached the bus and spoken to the gunman who gave them a list of demands.

Mendoza asked for food for the remaining passengers on the bus, which was delivered, and fuel to keep the air-conditioning going.

A handwritten note in bold letters saying a “big deal” would start after 3pm (07:00 GMT) was posted on the glass door of the bus, television images showed.

But the deadline passed without incident. Later, the note was replaced with another message saying: “Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision.”

Tear gas fired

After hearing gunshots from the bus, police encircled the bus, smashed its windows and fired at it, but Mendoza held them off by shooting back.

The crisis eventually ended when police threw tear gas inside the bus, and fired again.

Gregory Mendoza, the brother of the hostage-taker, said Rolando had taken the hostages to demand his full pension, which had been cancelled when he was sacked.

“He is not in the state of his mind, he is not the same Captain Mendoza as before,” Gregory Mendoza told Al Jazeera before the end of the standoff.

“According to him, he lost his life because of the dismissal.”

Gregory Mendoza, himself a policeman, was arrested later on Monday for alleged obstruction of justice.

He was taken to a police station after trying to approach the bus to speak to his brother, carrying a weapon.

“I am filing a case against him for conspiracy in committing serious illegal detention against Hong Kong tourists,” Major Mar Reyes told Al Jazeera.

Gregory Mendoza, however, blamed the police for the outcome of the hostage drama.

“They were the ones who failed in the negotiations, then they blame the outcome on me,” he said.

Alleged extortion

Rolando Mendoza was named one of the country’s top 10 police officers in 1986.

But in 2008, a chef accused him of framing him over a drugs charge to extort money.

Press reports at the time quoted the chef as saying that Mendoza allegedly harassed him and once stuffed a packet of a banned methamphetamine called “ice” in his mouth as a warning for him to pay up.

An internal investigation later found Mendoza guilty of the accusations, and he was suspended then kicked out of the force along with four subordinates in 2008.

The Aftermath of Manila’s Botched Hostage Crisis

T his week was supposed to bring good news for Filipinos: Miss Philippines, Maria Venus Raj, a farm girl turned fashion model, was a big favorite headed into Monday’s Miss Universe final. The competition, a parade of flashy clothes, straight teeth and slick hair, is popular here; and the country is very proud of its two previous Filipina winners of the pageant. Wracked by two insurgencies, endemic corruption and poverty, the Philippines could do with more national heroes and good press. So, on Monday, Raj was the talk of the town. “Good luck to Maria Venus Raj! Proud to be PINOY!” wrote a fan on twitter (Pinoy is an informal term for Filipino). “Represent” said another.

Then, an ex-police inspector stepped on to a tourist bus with an M16 rifle.

At 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning, Rolando D. Mendoza commandeered a bus carrying Hong Kong tourists in downtown Manila. Mendoza was reportedly furious about his dismissal on corruption charges and demanded redress, at gunpoint. As the standoff progressed, television crews swarmed the scene and Manileños gathered in restaurants and shops to follow live footage. Many were still watching, hours later, when shots rang out, SWAT teams moved in and gunfire swallowed the vehicle. Mendoza killed eight people before the police managed to shoot him dead. Another victim later died in a hospital.

(Read about the Philippines’ fight against homegrown terrorism.)

As Manila mourns the lives of the visitors, it agonizes, too, over what this means for the country. This was supposed to be a good year. The new president, Benigno Aquino III, nicknamed Noynoy, promised to clean-up corruption and crack down on crime. A fourth-generation politician, Aquino rose to power in a swell of popular support that is often compared, imperfectly, to Barack Obama’s ascent. His election, like Obama’s, was seen as the start of a new, more hopeful era. Though this may still prove true, the hostage crisis harks back to the country’s troubled past. (Indeed, two days before Mendoza’s rampage, Aquino marked the 27th anniversary of his father’s assassination, an event that eventually swept his mother into the Presidency.) “We already have a bad reputation,” said Zuriel K. Tan, a doctor from Quezon City. “Now what will people think?”

(See TIME’s profile of Noynoy Aquino.)

Hong Kong, for one, is outraged. “Fury in HK Over Manila Bloodbath,” read a headline in the city’s English-language daily, the South China Morning Post . The city, a semi-autonomous sliver of southern China, issued a travel warning and urged its residents to leave the the Philippines at once. Donald Tsang, the territory’s chief executive, spoke with unusual candor on the matter: “The way it was handled — particularly the outcome — was very disappointing,” he said. The Philippine consulate, meanwhile, was swamped by protesters bearing placards and petitions. Online, the tone was vicious: “SWAT = Sorry We Aren’t Trained,” was a common refrain.

(See the aftermath of a deadly massacre in the southern Philippines.)

In addition to Hong Kong and China, several other governments have issued travel warnings for the Philippines. And, though there has been no threat of trade sanctions, some businesses are bracing for a backlash. “I’m just waiting for it,” said Joseph Rubio, a Filipino who does business in China. Aquino, the optimist, urged calm. “We should not just give up because of this one incident,” he said.

Manila — and, indeed the country — is now engaged in a high-stakes blame game centered, primarily, on the police, the press and the President himself. The only consensus, so far, is that security forces botched the rescue. Gunshots were heard at 6:40 p.m. on Monday, but the SWAT team did not storm the bus until after 7:30 p.m. “How could it take them so long?” asked Mike Santos, 50, a customs broker. So far, four members of the SWAT team have been sacked and the head of Manila’s police department is on voluntary leave pending an investigation.

The media have come in for blame as well. Footage from the standoff may have helped the gunman figure out what the police and the hostage negotiators were up to: he was reportedly watching himself and the would-be rescuers on the bus’s onboard TV. He then supposedly started firing when he saw his brother being escorted from the scene. In light of the criticism, President Aquino said he may consider new “limitations” on the media. His office admitted, too, that there were “defects” in the handling of the crisis. These concessions, though, did not earn him absolution. He’s been roundly criticized, at home and abroad, for his lack of visibility during the crisis.

On Wednesday, 48 hours after Mendoza boarded the bus, the blue, red and white vehicle still sat, shattered, in front of the grandstand where Aquino only recently delivered his inaugural address. There was a tidy floral display and a barricade, but no guards, only small groups of gawkers. They stepped over the tattered, yellow police tape and walked within feet of the bullet-scarred windshield. Some snapped pictures; most looked on silently. In an unseemly spectacle, police officers and students have posed for souvenir shots in front of the bus. Later in the day, President Aquino’s office issued a statement asking people to refrain from photographing the crime scene.

This is surely not the fresh start Aquino, or Filipinos, had in mind. (The Miss Universe contest provided no comfort either: Venus Raj placed fifth out of the final five, after botching the answer to a routine pageant question.) Everyone, no doubt, wishes the world would look away.

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Write to Emily Rauhala at [email protected]

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Gunman in the philippines ends standoff by killing 8, wounding 7.

• NEW: Hong Kong urges no trips to Philippines after killings
• Manila police say the gunman was a disgruntled ex-cop
• China condemned the "atrocious behavior of the criminal"
• The gunman's brother has been accused of conspiring with him

Hong Kong, China (CNN) -- Hong Kong urged its residents to cut short or cancel planned trips to the Philippines on Tuesday in the aftermath of a bloodbath that left eight dead on a Manila tour bus.

Hong Kong's regional government issued its highest level of travel warnings in the aftermath of the killings, urging all residents to avoid traveling to the Philippines.

"Those already there should attend to their personal safety and stay alert," the advisory read. Tour groups were urged to return "as soon as possible," while other groups scheduled to visit were urged to cancel their trips.

Manila police said Rolando Mendoza, a former police officer upset at having lost his job, took hostage a busload of tourists from Hong Kong Monday and killed eight of them before being shot dead. One passenger was critically wounded and six others hospitalized with less serious injuries after the 10-hour standoff erupted into gunfire, Donald Tsang, the chief executive of Hong Kong's semi-autonomous government, told reporters.

And in Beijing, the Chinese government said Tuesday it "severely condemns the atrocious behavior of the criminal" and expressed its "deep sorrow" and "sincerely condolences" to the families of the victims.

"The Chinese government has already decided to send working teams to the Philippines and we will keep close contact with both the Philippine as well as Hong Kong government, putting our best effort into rescuing the injured parties in the aftermath," China's Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement on the killings. China has asked the Philippine government "to take concrete action to secure [and] guarantee the protection and safety of Chinese lives and wealth."

The incident began at 10 a.m. Monday (10 p.m. ET Sunday), when Mendoza -- wearing a uniform and carrying a rifle -- flagged down the tourist bus and asked for a ride, police spokesman Erwin Margarejo told reporters.

A tour guide for Hong Thai Travel tried to stop him from boarding the bus, the company's general manager told reporters.

"The gunman said he wanted to have a free lift. Then the tour guide stopped him," General Manager Susanna Lau said. "Eventually, the gunman got on the coach and then asked the driver to lock the door."

Lau said the gunman did not threaten people on the bus.

Twenty-five people, including 22 foreigners, were on the bus when Mendoza boarded it, Manila District Police Chief Rodolfo Magtibay said.

Mendoza wrote his demand that he get his job back on a board and displayed it in the bus windshield.

Inside, the hostages appeared calm but confused, Margarejo said.

Police cordoned off the area around the bus as they tried to negotiate, and sharpshooters were stationed nearby. Food was delivered to the hostages on board.

Manila police official Leocadio Santiago told CNN that Mendoza's family members spoke with him early in the standoff and that he appeared "very reasonable and very psychologically stable."

The gunman released nine of the hostages, including a mother and her three children, a man with diabetes, and two photographers. The bus driver also escaped.

Around 2 p.m., the Philippine news channel ANC showed images of signs posted on the bus windshield saying, "Big deal will start after 3 p.m. today" and "3 p.m. today dead lock."

But two hours later, there were no signs that the situation had changed.

ANC showed passengers peeking out from behind curtains of the parked bus and a sign posted on the bus door saying, "Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision."

Mendoza was dismissed a year ago, Margarejo said.

Manila Vice Mayor Ikso Moreno told CNNI that Mendoza's dismissal was for extortion and that he wanted his motion for reconsideration to be heard.

"He felt that it was being neglected," Moreno said. "So he went on hostaging a bus full of foreign individuals. So when we talked to him this afternoon, that's what he wanted."

Moreno said that Mendoza's brother was arrested because he was "guilty of conspiring with his brother" and allegedly helped instigate the shooting.

Moreno said when he arrived near the site of the standoff in the company of Mendoza's brother and the chief hostage negotiator, "All of a sudden, he kept on shouting, 'Don't let go until they give my gun back! Don't let go! Don't let go!' He just shout, one moment -- Captain Mendoza just fired his gun."

Mendoza sprayed machine gun fire at the hostages, a police spokesman told CNN. At 8 p.m. Monday, police stormed the bus, which held 15 hostages, killing Mendoza.

In Manila, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said he had ordered an investigation, and would wait until it is completed before deciding whether anyone should lose his or her job.

"As the president, my opinion might already sway the investigative panel, which might hamper them in ferreting out the truth, so I will not do that at this time," he said.

Aquino said the news media may have worsened the situation by giving the shooter "a bird's-eye view of the entire situation," but said he had little choice but to let it play out the way it did. "If we ordered a news blackout, you would tell us we were guilty of censoring news," he said. "We did vow transparency."

CNN's Sarita Harilela and journalists Constance Cheng, Maria Ressa and Arlene Samson-Espiritu contributed to this report.

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Gunman and 8 Hostages Dead in the Philippines

By Carlos H. Conde

• Aug. 23, 2010

MANILA —A former police officer took a busload of tourists hostage in downtown Manila on Monday morning, opening a 12-hour standoff that was broadcast live on television, including its end as police commandos stormed the bus before a watching crowd.

Eight tourists, all from Hong Kong, were killed, along with the hostage-taker. He was identified as Rolando Mendoza, a 55-year-old officer who had been accused of robbery and extortion and was fired last year.

There were indications that Mr. Mendoza, who news reports said was armed with an M-16 assault rifle, was watching the live news broadcasts of the scene on a monitor inside the bus as it sat for hours, curtains drawn, at a major public plaza.

Throughout the day, the gunman wrote his demands for the return of his job and benefits on cardboard and pasted them on the windshield of the bus. One message read, “Big mistake to correct a big wrong decision.”

Late in the afternoon, he posted a message saying, “Media now,” apparently telling journalists to come to him. But by then the police prevented reporters from even getting near the bus.

At one point, the gunman’s brother complained to reporters near the scene that the police were threatening him; the cameras then showed him being detained by officers and shoved into a police car, his relatives wailing behind him. Shortly after, shots were heard from inside the bus.

Gunfire also broke out when the police tried to break the windshield and glass windows of the bus with sledgehammers. A bystander was hit in the leg by one of the bullets.

Mr. Mendoza gave an interview to Radio Mindanao Network, a Manila station, in which he admitted shooting two of the hostages and threatened to kill more.

“I shot two Chinese,” he told the station in Tagalog. “I will finish them all if they do not stop.”

The commandos struck after the bus driver jumped through a window and ran from the bus screaming, “Everybody is dead!”

The cameras captured the commandos, armed with rifles, surrounding the bus and opening an emergency exit, as emergency vehicles converged at the scene in heavy rain.

Police officers threw tear gas inside the bus, apparently forcing Mr. Mendoza to go near the bus’s main door, which they had torn down. Shots were heard and in a split second the body of a man — presumably Mr. Mendoza — was seen slumped by the door.

Several of the unharmed hostages, visibly shaken and some crying, were taken off the bus through the emergency exit.

President Benigno Aquino, in a news briefing around midnight, said Mr. Mendoza might have gained some advantage from the coverage. “To a certain extent, he may have had a bird’s eye view of the developments, which might not have helped,” the president said.

The case captivated — and angered — Filipinos, with many blaming the news coverage for the disastrous end.

The chief executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang, called the case a “major tragedy,” and criticized the Filipino authorities.

“The way it was handled, particularly the outcome, I find is disappointing,” Mr. Tsang said at a news conference in Hong Kong, Reuters reported.

But Mr. Aquino defended the actions of the authorities: “The idea was to let the ground commanders who are the experts in this field handle the operation with minimal interference from people who are less expert.”

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Watch CBS News

Manila, Philippines Bus Standoff Ends with Hijacker Rolando Mendoza, 7 Hostages Dead

By Kevin Hayes

August 23, 2010 / 1:43 PM EDT / CBS News

MANILA, Philippines (CBS/AP) The 12-hour hostage stand-off on a hijacked tourist bus in the Phlippines ended in bloodshed Monday. At least seven Chinese tourists were dead along with Rolando Mendoza, the ex-policeman who seized the bus in a bid to get his job back, according to officials.

PICTURES: Philippines Bus Hijacking

Philippine police stormed the bus Monday evening when the Mendoza started shooting at the 15 Chinese tourists inside, said police Senior Superintendent Nelson Yabut. He said the hostage-taker was killed by a sniper shot to the head after he wounded a police sharpshooter. 

At least six captives survived, four of whom were seen crawling out the back door of the bus.

After the standoff ended, police and ambulances were lined up next to the vehicle in the pouring rain. Local hospitals reported that the bodies of seven hostages had been brought in. One other hostage was hospitalized in critical condition, and five others were unharmed. Officials have yet to disclose the fate of the two other hostages.

The crisis began when the 55-year-old-Mendoza, armed with an M16 rifle, seized the busload of Hong Kong tourists to demand his reinstatement in the force.

According to newspaper reports from 2008, Mendoza was among five officers who had been charged with robbery, extortion and grave threats after a Manila hotel chef filed a complaint alleging the policemen falsely accused him of using drugs to extort money. The gunman released nine hostages during the afternoon - leaving 15 inside - and demanded his job back to free the rest. Despite hopes that negotiations might bring the stand-off to a peaceful conclusion, tensions escalated as night closed in. Police said they stormed the bus after they saw Mendoza open fire on hostages. Moments before the commandos moved in, the Filipino driver fled. Police officer Roderick Mariano cited him as saying Mendoza had opened fire at the tourists.

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Take the first step to your ideal Hong Kong trip

Many Filipinos have developed a penchant for leisure travel. It has become common to go on package tours, follow fixed itineraries, or use must-see lists as references on where to go. What if you could instead use a fun tool to help you plan your next Hong Kong trip according to your travel type?

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Attempting to create an itinerary, we gave the tool a spin. Answering the micro quiz yielded the classification of Wilderness Luminary , someone inspired by the great outdoors and encourages others to embrace the beauty of our natural world.

With this profile came recommendations of the most ideal nature spots to visit.

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These are just a few of the many possibilities that may pop up to become the foundations of your most hip Hong Kong trip. Try it out for yourself here.

Hong Kong's hidden gems

As you build your list of places to visit through a mix of well-known spots and quiet destinations, you can also include some of Hong Kong's hidden gems. Take a look at these top picks:

Nature and Adventure

Red Incense Burner Summit

What. A. View. The Red Incense Burner Summit is also known as Braemar HIll. The hike up is relatively short but the panoramic view you are rewarded with is more than worth it. Take in Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and Victoria Harbour in one go as you enjoy the sunset or night views. If you're not up for the upward trudge, you can take a bus to Upper Braemar Hill and a 5-minute hike to the top.

Cheung Chau

The island is famous for their annual Bun Festival where around 60,000 buns are made for the celebration. You can also visit the Cheung Po Tsai Cave or the 3000-year old rock carving enshrined below a popular hotel. 

Arts and Culture

Sham Shui Po Reservoir Tour

The reservoir has been decommissioned for decades but it was originally used to augment water supply in Hong Kong's early days. Now, visitors can marvel at its brick arches as they listen to the history of not just water distribution in the area but also of its impressive design structure.

Tsz Shan Monastery

The Guan Yin statue that towers over the monastery is 70 meters high and sits on top of a museum that exhibits Buddhist art and relics. Here, you can experience the calm among the hills of Tai Po.

Food and Drink

Tai Ping Koon Restaurant

The longevity of Tai Ping Koon is legendary and it is said to have served well-known public figures from Dr. Sun Yat-sen to Ho Chi Minh to Chow Yun-fat. Famous for their must-try roasted pigeon and baked soufflé, get ready to be immersed in Western and Chinese fusion cuisine.

Wong Kar Wai-inspired interiors drive the mood of this speakeasy where you can relax as you sip on innovative cocktails.

Shop and Play

Mahjong Workshop

How many of us are familiar with the "twittering of sparrows" or the sound of "shuffling" mahjong tiles? You can learn the craftsmanship and artistry that go into each tile through a mahjong carving workshop session as you are introduced to the history of the game. Get to take home your unique creation crafted with your own hands.

Spend the day at a centre filled with shops, restaurants, and galleries. Enjoy craft workshops and be in the presence of artisans promoting innovation in art at this creative space. 

The journey doesn't end with these places and activities. There are so many sights to see, activities to participate in, and dishes to fill up on -- all in a Hong Kong adventure that’s perfect for you.

Discover more of Hong Kong's hidden gems as you create your ultimate itinerary. Book your trip now.

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