Hong Kong has threatened to impose unspecified economic sanctions on the
Philippines if substantial progress is not made within a month in talks
demanding the country's apology and compensation for a hostage tragedy three
years ago.
Hong Kong is demanding a formal apology for the incident, which saw eight of
its citizens killed and seven others wounded after negotiations broke down
between Philippine authorities and a former police officer who hijacked a tour bus.
- Speaking before a debate by legislators calling for sanctions against the Philippines on Tuesday, Leung Chun-ying, Hong Kong leader, urged the Philippine government for a "concrete and timely response".
- "Unless, within a month, there are concrete steps taken to resolve this issue, the government will take necessary actions to apply sanctions," Leung said without going into specifics.
Hong Kong and the Philippines have close economic ties, from tourism to more
than 100,000 Filipino domestic helpers working in Hong Kong, but tensions
continue over the incident.
The tragedy happened in 2010 when a busload of Hong Kong tourists in Manila
were taken hostage by disgruntled former policeman, Rolando Mendoza, who had
just been dismissed.
Following a prolonged stand-off and negotiations, watched on live television
by thousands in Hong Kong, the man opened fire
after what the victims' families
maintain was
a bungled rescue effort.
Source: Al Jazeera...More...
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