Palace welcomes HK inquest on hostage crisis

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang yesterday welcomed the decision of the Hong Kong government to conduct public inquest proceedings on the bungled hostage crisis at Quirino Grandstand last August, but hopes this would be fair and thorough.

“We don’t want to be bold in telling the Hong Kong authorities on what they should do, but we hope that the inquest would be objective and that only evidence gathered would be the basis of their conclusions,” Undersecretary Abigail Valte said.

The deputy presidential spokesperson clarified that the Philippine government side has not yet been notified of the inquest, which will be held for 25 days starting February next year.

At the same time, Valte said that should the inquest proceedings push through, the administration of President Aquino will definitely cooperate. The Palace official is hopeful the hearings would be thorough, just like what the Philippine government did.

The Hong Kong Coroner’s Court announced earlier it will hold a public inquest into the hostage crisis incident that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead.

The hearings are scheduled to last 25 days starting Feb. 14, focusing on the cause and circumstances that led to the bloody deaths of the eight tourists.

Officials said the hearings would not delve into the civil liabilities of the Filipino officials and policemen in the botched rescue attempt.

The Hong Kong government has expressed “disappointment at the Philippine authorities’ decision to lessen the recommended actions against the officers named in the first report by the inquiry committee reviewing the Manila hostage tragedy.

Hong Kong officials, led by Chief Executive Donald Tsang, criticized the Aquino government for bungling the rescue attempt.

During the inquest, the Coroner, who has no power and authority to compel witnesses from other countries to testify, would call witnesses.

After the hearings, the Coroner will sum up the case that is expected to contain the findings on the direct causes of the deaths of the hostages.

The inquest came less than a month after the Hong Kong police concluded their investigation into the hostage incident.

Last month, the Hong Kong Police submitted its investigation report to the Coroner’s Court. Its police earlier sent a delegation to Manila to gather evidence, including from the bus where the victims were killed, and interview witnesses.