Two years after hostage tragedy, HK black alert on PHL unchanged

Two years after a hostage tragedy in Manila claimed the lives of eight Hong Kong tourists, Hong Kong has not lifted its "Black" travel warning that discourages its residents from traveling to the Philippines. Hong Kong's Security Bureau maintained the Black travel alert on the Philippines, which it originally issued on the day of the hostage tragedy in 2010. "Serious hostage-taking incident happened in Manila on 23 August 2010, residents should avoid all travel to the country; those who are already there should attend to personal safety and exercise caution," it said. Black is the most severe of the three-level outbound alert system for Hong Kong. Yellow is the "lowest," meaning "signs of threat." Red is the second meaning "significant threat." An article on the Hong Kong Standard said Hong Kong's government is maintaining its travel ban to the Philippines. "The government says it will not lift the black travel warning on the Philippines even though it is two years to the day since a sacked police officer held Hong Kong visitors hostage in Manila before killing seven of them and their tour guide," the report said. On August 23, 2010, a dismissed police officer, Rolando Mendoza, took a busload of Hong Kong tourists hostage, demanding to be reinstated. He triggered a day-long hostage crisis that ended in a botched police rescue operation, killing eight tourists and Mendoza himself. But a report on dzBB radio Thursday cited Department of Tourism figures showing a two-percent rise in tourist arrivals from Hong Kong in the first half of 2012, or 138,000 tourist arrivals from Hong Kong. Also, the Hong Kong Standard quoted travel agencies as saying that since the tragedy, the number of Hong Kong residents visiting the Philippines has plunged as they could not buy insurance packages because of the black travel alert. It quoted Susanna Lau Mei-sze, a manager at Travel Expert, as saying the number of Hong Kong tourists to the Philippines dropped 50 percent compared with the peak season before the 2010 tragedy. "Most tourists prefer Malaysia for diving or other southeast Asian nations, including Singapore, and South Korea," she said. Meanwhile, Tse Chi-kin, elder brother of slain tour guide Masa Tse Ting-Chun, criticized the government for failing to help them seek compensation from Manila. "I am angry that the SAR government has not put pressure on the Philippine government to accept responsibility and offer compensation to victims," Tse said. The guide's family, along with survivors Joe Chan Kwok-chu and Yik Siu-ling, who were severely injured by gunshots, will hold a meeting with Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok Friday. For its part, the Hong Kong government said it has been rendering assistance to the victims and their families. In Manila, meanwhile, a group offered prayers and flowers, and lighted candles at the Quirino Grandstand where the tragedy occurred to mark the occasion. The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption said the offering of flowers sought to put the souls of the fatalities at peace, according to a report on dzBB. — LBG, GMA News