Breaking News - Tour Bus Held Hostage

[UZI]

On TV now. 20 + Korean hostages held by ex PNP officer in a tour bus on Roxas Blvd near the Quirino Grandstand. Two hostages released. Hostage taker wants to be re-enstated . !! Not good for the tourist industry here.

[Jollygoodfellow]

On TV now. 20 + Korean hostages held by ex PNP officer in a tour bus on Roxas Blvd near the Quirino Grandstand. Two hostages released. Hostage taker wants to be re-enstated . !! Not good for the tourist industry here.

So the former office wants his job back so he does something illegal to demand it,good logic. :)

[Jollygoodfellow]

This is what the news is saying. A dismissed policeman armed with an automatic rifle seized a bus in the Philippine capital Monday with 25 passengers aboard, most of them Hong Kong tourists, in a bid to demand his reinstatement, police said. Police sharpshooters took positions around the white-blue-red bus, which was parked near a downtown Manila park, and negotiations to free the hostages were under way, deputy director of Manila police Alex Gutierrez said. Two of the Hong Kong tourists, both women, were released and were being debriefed by police, Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay said. Police had earlier reported that the tourists were from South Korea but later corrected themselves. Others on the bus included three Filipinos — a driver, a guide and a photographer, Magtibay said. The hostage-taker, identified as former Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, was armed with an M16 rifle. He demanded that he be given back his job on the police force a year after he was fired, Magtibay said. Mendoza hitched a ride on the bus from the historic walled city of Intramuros and then "declared he is taking the passengers hostage" when the bus reached Jose Rizal Park alongside Manila Bay. The area also includes the seaside U.S. Embassy and a number of hotels. The curtains on the bus windows were drawn and live TV footage showed two police negotiators walking to and from the bus and communicating with Mendoza from the window near the driver's seat. Magtibay said they were also using the driver's cell phone to talk to Mendoza. "We should really resolve this quickly so that it will not have a wider effect," Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said.http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=11457944

[Jake]

"We should really resolve this quickly so that it will not have a wider effect," Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said. The above statement may mean orders to shoot to kill. It would not surprise me.Respectfully -- Jake

[UZI]

"We should really resolve this quickly so that it will not have a wider effect," Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said. The above statement may mean orders to shoot to kill. It would not surprise me.Respectfully -- Jake

He has been standing in the doorway of the bus in full view. If that order was there, he would already be dead. May be an option as always as sharp shooters are deployed but not without good reason now CNN are covering it also.

[Inspector]

Take him out...hostages are on that bus

[Inspector]

Looks like the Philippines screwed this all up....on a national level as well....:AddEmoticons04230:Poor hostages and their families.

[Travis]

strange news reporting here http://www.philstar....ubCategoryId=63 so instead of saying x number of hostages killed they say Hostage crisis ends with several hostages alive this should be great for tourism A hostage crisis ended here tonight with several hostages still alive, local TV footage showed.The hostage-taker, former Police Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza, was killed after local police assaulted the bus to save the hostages. according to a broadcast on television.At least four of the 15 captives were confirmed alive, while two captives were confirmed dead.

[Mr Lee]

  :wt-hell:  This is definitely one botched mess and since there were pictures of the hostage taker standing in plain view (as others have said) why they did not just shoot him then and before he killed anyone is beyond reason.   :1 (103):    Hostage-taker killed as drama endsMANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 3) It’s over. The dismissed policeman who held over 20 foreign tourists hostage for close to 12 hours was killed by sniper fire, according to a television report.It was not clear whether there were survivors from those taken hostage Monday by Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza who demanded his reinstatement after he was dismissed on drug-related offenses, which he denied.Bursts of gunfire were heard from inside the tourist bus as lawmen have gone to the backdoor to force it open in the hope of seizing Mendoza and rescuing his hostages, footage on GMA Network showed.A bystander, identified as a 10-year-old boy, was hurt following the gunshots and was brought to the hospital for treatment, according to the television report.A police car moved closer while members of the raiding team continued to break into the back of the vehicle, video showed.Ambulances have surrounded the bus.The law enforcers initially broke the windows and tried to enter the front door of the stalled bus but were stopped by gunshots coming from inside.Mendoza seized the tourist bus with over 20 Chinese nationals early Monday morning in Manila to demand his reinstatement into the force.Mendoza was dismissed due to drug-related offenses but he denied the charges.

[UZI]

Overly simplistic views IMHO.Negotiations were going well (9 hostages released safely remember) so where was the justification for shooting him earlier? Then the brother does some grandstanding to the press (apparently whipping up feelings & interfering with negotiations) & suddenly all went pear shaped. Perhaps because (surprise surprise) they had radio & tv in the bus & heard the brother screaming to the media.