80,000 HONG KONG RESIDENTS PROTEST OVER MANILA BUS TRAGEDY

Participants take to the streets of Hong Kong to show their anger and condolences after the Manila bus hostage crisis.

HONG KONG - Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents marched on Sunday in honour of eight locals killed in a bus hijacking in Manila, denouncing the Philippine government for botching the rescue operation and demanding justice for the dead.

• The Philippine president has "begged for understanding" and ordered a thorough investigation into last Monday's incident, but that has done little to stem growing anger in this wealthy southern Chinese territory where violent crime is a rarity.
• About 20 Hong Kong legislators led the crowd gathered at an urban park in a short ceremony honoring the dead before setting off on a march to the Central financial district. Police didn't estimate the size of the crowd, but organizers said about 80,000 people took part.
• "That 80,000 people can show up in such a short period of time... it shows the anger and unity of the Hong Kong people," lawmaker Cheung Man-kwong said.
• There are concerns that local anger could boil over and the some 120,000 Filipinos working as live-in domestic helpers for Hong Kong families could face a backlash.
• So far there have been no reports of violence, although a local Filipino activist group says two maids have been fired over the incident and another employer decided not to sign a helper who had been lined up.

Philippine officials are also expecting Hong Kong tourists to stay away from their country. In a gesture of solidarity, local Filipino activists organised an interfaith service in memory of the victims earlier Sunday where they lit eight candles--one for each victim.

Source: AFP