Solved case · 2010
Also known as Rizal Park hostage-taking incident · 2010 Manila hostage crisis
HK Central Statue Square Memorial 悼念菲律賓遇害香港市民 stage with flowers Aug-2010Credit: MaethanimCC BY-SA 3.0SourceThe short answer
On August 23, 2010, former police officer Rolando Mendoza hijacked a tourist bus in Rizal Park, Manila, holding 25 people hostage. After a ten-hour standoff broadcast live worldwide, negotiations collapsed and Mendoza killed eight hostages before police stormed the bus and fatally shot him.
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Suggest coverage for Manila hostage crisisOn the morning of August 23, 2010, Rolando Mendoza, a 55-year-old former Philippine National Police officer, hijacked a Hong Thai Travel Services tour bus in Manila carrying 25 people — 21 from Hong Kong and four Filipinos. Mendoza, armed with a handgun and an M16 rifle, demanded reinstatement to the police force, from which he had been dismissed in February 2009 following a 2008 extortion complaint by hotel chef Christian Kalaw. He claimed he had been framed and denied a fair hearing.
Negotiations, broadcast live by Philippine, Hong Kong, and international television networks, led to the release of nine hostages over several hours. Because the bus had a television and coverage showed police movements, Mendoza was able to track officers' positions, including snipers. In the evening, after the Office of the Ombudsman denied his reinstatement request and his brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, was arrested for breaching the police exclusion zone while carrying a gun during a negotiation attempt, Mendoza became agitated. He fired warning shots, and shortly after 7:21 pm began shooting hostages, starting with tour leader Masa Tse. Bus driver Alberto Lubang escaped and told police "Everyone is dead" before being moved away. A SWAT team failed for nearly an hour to force entry into the bus; after tear gas was deployed, Mendoza stepped out and was fatally shot by snipers. Eight hostages died and 13 survived with injuries ranging from minor to serious.
Separate investigations by the Philippine and Hong Kong governments both concluded that the Philippine authorities' handling of the crisis directly contributed to the hostages' deaths. The Philippine government's Incident Investigation and Review Committee, headed by Leila de Lima, identified eight critical errors, including failure to properly activate a crisis management committee, allowing Gregorio Mendoza to join negotiations and then arresting him, an inefficient and disorganized assault, and unrestricted media coverage of police operations. The committee recommended administrative or criminal charges against 15 individuals and organizations. Hong Kong's coroner's inquest, which began in February 2011, returned a verdict that all eight victims were "unlawfully killed," attributing the deaths to Philippine authorities' incompetent handling, though it assigned no criminal or civil liability.
The incident strained relations between the Philippines and Hong Kong/China. Hong Kong issued a "black" travel alert against the Philippines, later lifted in August 2014, and revoked visa-free privileges for Philippine diplomats. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and members of Mendoza's family apologized to Hong Kong; President Benigno Aquino III expressed regret but declined to issue a formal state apology, describing the killings as the act of one individual. In 2014, the Hong Kong government, Philippine government, and victims' families reached an agreement under which an undisclosed sum of compensation was paid to the victims' families. On April 12, 2018, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte publicly apologized for the incident during an official visit to Hong Kong.
Rolando Mendoza hijacks a tourist bus in Rizal Park, Manila, taking 25 people hostage; standoff ends with eight hostages killed and Mendoza fatally shot by police.
Bodies of the eight victims and most survivors returned to Hong Kong; National Day of Mourning declared in the Philippines.
Mendoza buried in a public ceremony in Tanauan; a march of tens of thousands held in Hong Kong to mourn victims.
Preliminary results of the Philippine government's official investigation released.
Philippine Joint Incident Investigation and Review Committee completes initial inquiry.
Investigation report delivered to the Chinese embassy in Manila before public release.
Hong Kong government's coroner's inquest into the deaths begins.
Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzales III dismissed by President Aquino over handling of Mendoza's appeal.
Hong Kong government, Philippine government, and victims' families reach a compensation agreement.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte publicly apologizes for the incident during a visit to Hong Kong.
Victims first. Every legal label is set from public records and court outcomes, not from the prose.
21-year-old hostage killed during the crisis.[3]
Hostage killed during the crisis; posthumously awarded Hong Kong's gold medal for Bravery.[3]
14-year-old hostage killed while shielding her brother.[3]
Hostage killed while shielding his wife from gunfire; posthumously awarded Hong Kong's gold medal for Bravery.[3]
Tour guide killed during the hostage-taking; posthumously awarded Hong Kong's gold medal for Bravery.[3]
Hostage killed during the crisis.[3]
Hostage killed during the crisis.[3]
Hostage killed during the crisis.[3]
Former Philippine National Police officer identified by ballistic evidence as responsible for killing the eight hostages; shot dead by police at the scene, so no criminal prosecution occurred, but investigative findings attributed the deaths to his gunfire.[3]
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