Suspects in killing of China diplomats to get immunity

Two Chinese nationals, a consular officer (left) and her husband (right, with handcuffs), suspects in the shooting of Chinese consul general Song Ronghua at a restaurant in Cebu City. AFP

 

(UPDATED 5:11 p.m.) The two Chinese diplomats involved in the shooting incident that killed two staff members of China’s consulate in Cebu and wounded its Consul General have diplomatic immunity and will be turned over to Beijing authorities, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

“They enjoy diplomatic immunity. Custody will be given to the Chinese side and they will undergo the legal process in China,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said a press briefing.

Jose said a security team from Beijing is arriving in Manila anytime to obtain custody of suspects Li Qing Ling, 60, and his wife, Consul Gou Jing, who wounded Consul General Song Rong Hua and shot to death his staff, deputy consul Sun Shan and finance officers Hui Li at a restaurant in Cebu City.

“The Chinese embassy in Manila and consulate in Cebu has been extending their full cooperation with Philippine authorities regarding the investigation. The two sides will properly handle the matter in accordance with the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular Relations and the 2009 Consular Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the People’s Republic of China,” Jose said.
 

Li and Guo, who works in the consulate's visa section, have requested diplomatic immunity, police said after the shooting.

Diplomatic immunity as defined in the Vienna Convention states that diplomats are not subject to any arrest or detention and are exempted from criminal jurisdiction of the receiving state.

This was further reinforced by an agreement signed between the Philippines and China in 2009, stating that members of the two nations’ consulate posts, including their family members, shall be immune from criminal jurisdiction of the receiving state.

“They are diplomats accredited to the Philippines so they enjoy diplomatic immunity. We are in consultation with the Chinese side and they are working out the details,” Jose said.

 

National police sources earlier told Reuters that Li and Guo would be handed over to Chinese authorities.

 

"The couple ... are still in our custody but in view of an agreement between the Philippines and China, we would respect and honor their immunity," said a senior police officer, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

 

There has been no official comment about the incident from China so far.

“As soon as their security team from Beijing arrives here we will turn over the custody to the Chinese side,” Jose said
 

Police are trying to unravel the different strands of the bizarre drama.

 

Rey Lawas, a police spokesman in Cebu city, said investigators believe the shooting could be the result of a personal grudge over financial matters between Li and Sun, the deputy consul general, or the woman finance officer.

 

"They have been at odds for a long time over personal finances," Lawas said, adding the fight "was purely personal."

 

Waiters at the Lighthouse, a popular Filipino restaurant, have told police they heard shouting from a private room but could not understand what was being said.

 

Minutes later they heard gunshots.

 

The senior police officer said investigators would also look into how the pistol used in the shooting had been acquired.

 

Another police officer involved in the investigation said the serial number on the weapon had been defaced and that it was similar to another gun registered in Manila.

 

"In Cebu, it's easy to procure a gun because of a large cottage industry for homemade guns," said the second police official, who also asked not to be identified.

 

China's state-back Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on Thursday that diplomats often worked in stressful environments. "The diplomatic service should not consider themselves to be immune to problems, nor can the public think in this way," it said. —with Reuters