Phillippine Police Blamed for Hostage Deaths
- 14 years ago
An investigation into a tragic hostage crisis in the Philippines will target the police for poor handling of the incident.
The victims of a deadly hostage crisis in the Philippines are put on a chartered plane bound for Hong Kong.
A group of hostages' relatives and survivors also left the Philippines after an 11-hour stand-off ended with the death of eight people and the gunman, a former police officer.
The outcome sparked severe criticism in China for the way Philippine police handled the situation.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino.
[Eniigno Aquino, Philippine President]:
"We understand that there is that sense of outrage, and the anger that emanates from that sense of outrage. We ask for their understanding. We are correcting deficiencies that we have noted in the implementation of our operating procedures. And none of us wanted this outcome. And we'd like to emphasise the fact that primary consideration was trying to secure all of the hostages."
Police officials described defects including poor negotiations and inadequate training.
Blood stains remained on the bullet-ridden bus ahead of an investigation.
All 200 members of the SWAT team involved have been ordered to submit their weapons for ballistic testing.
The Philippines interior secretary wouldn't blame anyone until the investigation finishes.
[Jesse Robredo, Interior Secretary]:
"You know, until we get a full report and complete the investigation, I guess it's not fair to say whose head will roll. We need to establish accountabilities and responsibilities."
It is still unknown whether the hostages were killed by the gunman or the police during the rescue attempt.
The victims of a deadly hostage crisis in the Philippines are put on a chartered plane bound for Hong Kong.
A group of hostages' relatives and survivors also left the Philippines after an 11-hour stand-off ended with the death of eight people and the gunman, a former police officer.
The outcome sparked severe criticism in China for the way Philippine police handled the situation.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino.
[Eniigno Aquino, Philippine President]:
"We understand that there is that sense of outrage, and the anger that emanates from that sense of outrage. We ask for their understanding. We are correcting deficiencies that we have noted in the implementation of our operating procedures. And none of us wanted this outcome. And we'd like to emphasise the fact that primary consideration was trying to secure all of the hostages."
Police officials described defects including poor negotiations and inadequate training.
Blood stains remained on the bullet-ridden bus ahead of an investigation.
All 200 members of the SWAT team involved have been ordered to submit their weapons for ballistic testing.
The Philippines interior secretary wouldn't blame anyone until the investigation finishes.
[Jesse Robredo, Interior Secretary]:
"You know, until we get a full report and complete the investigation, I guess it's not fair to say whose head will roll. We need to establish accountabilities and responsibilities."
It is still unknown whether the hostages were killed by the gunman or the police during the rescue attempt.