HONG KONG — Drawn by a mixture of anger and grief, tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents poured into the streets on Sunday to protest how the Philippine government handled a bus siege last week that ended in the shooting deaths of eight Hong Kong residents and the dismissed police officer who had taken them hostage. Organizers estimated the crowd at 80,000 people, but the police put it at 30,000. Either figure would make it the largest protest march in memory against overseas events, although there have been much larger protests in Hong Kong involving local politics or events in mainland China, notably the Tiananmen Square killings in 1989.
Wearing black and white, with yellow ribbons tied around their upper arms to remember the dead, the solemn crowd gathered in sweltering heat in Victoria Park and then marched peacefully more than a mile to the downtown business district, before dispersing quietly. A police spokeswoman said Sunday evening that no arrests had been made.
Many marchers seemed to be fairly apolitical, soft-spoken members of the middle class who said they had never attended a demonstration before but were offended that the Philippine government had failed to protect the Hong Kong residents aboard the bus. The dismissed police officer, armed with an M-16 assault rifle, had repeatedly been visible during the siege, even waving to onlookers from the bus door, but police snipers had not tried to shoot him through most of the siege.
“Their performance is not acceptable,” said Michael Kong, 33, a logistics manager who came with his wife, Anna Ho, a telecommunications manager of the same age; both said they had never previously marched for any cause.
President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Phillipines drew particular criticism from marchers for failing to show adequate contrition and remorse.
“We don’t think that he has apologized to us,” said Rachel Lam, a 23-year-old student who also said that she had never participated in a demonstration before. “It is very impolite.”
Flags hung at half-mast for three days after the killings, the nightly light show on the city’s skyscrapers was cancelled for three days of mourning and local politicians have cancelled most trips to attend memorial events.
Domestic helpers work six-day weeks for $460 a month plus room and board, with no eligibility for overtime pay. Their presence in homes has long made them vulnerable targets for abuse, because they frequently borrow heavily to reach Hong Kong but can be sent home at any time by their employers.
Hong Kong’s Equal Opportunity Commission, a government agency, issued a statement on Wednesday in which it urged, “all members of the community to stay calm and, in line with our good tradition of tolerance and understanding, refrain from shifting our anger towards an innocent group, particularly the Filipinos who are living or travelling in Hong Kong.”
But there was no sign of malice towards Filipinos at the demonstration on Sunday. “I won’t be mad at the local Filipinos,” said Lin Hengchoi, a 49-year-old electrical contractor who brought his five-year-old son, Ken, with him to the demonstration.
The Hong Kong government has strongly warned its people against travel to the Philippines in the near future, and large numbers of Chinese tourists have also reportedly headed home from vacations there. But there was little sign among demonstrators on Sunday that the bus killings would fundamentally change their view of the attractiveness of the Philippines as a tourist destination for years to come.
Mr. Lin predicted that he and other Hong Kong residents would continue to take vacations in the Philippines.
“I think we will still go,” he said.
HK furious; OFWs fearful
80,000 marchers demand justice
HONG KONG—Tens of thousands marched in Hong Kong on Sunday in honor of eight Hong Kong residents killed in a bus hijacking in Manila, denouncing the Philippine government for botching the rescue operation and demanding justice for the dead.
President Benigno Aquino III has “begged for understanding” and ordered a thorough investigation into the Aug. 23 bloodbath, 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, radio RTHK reported on its website.
“Today’s protest expresses our deep mourning and our strong desire for the Philippine government to take the matter seriously,” Jasper Tsang, president of the Legislative Council, told the crowd.
“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.
The bloody ending stunned Hong Kongers, who blasted the Manila police for what they called an amateurish rescue attempt. They also accused President Aquino of indifference in angry online messages.
“Everyone saw how the Philippine government mishandled the situation before TV cameras and the chaos in the country. As a Chinese person, I need to demand justice,” 49-year-old worker Andy Wong said at Sunday’s protest.
“I am furious,” said 56-year-old Law Wai-hing. “I don’t think we will be ever told the truth when the President (Aquino) is as appalling as he is.”
Fears over backlash
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 would face a backlash. So far, there have been no reports of violence.
Protest organizers urged participants not to target Filipinos in the former British colony.
“My feelings toward the Philippine people haven’t changed. This is not a problem concerning the entire Filipino race,” said protester Carl Chiu, a 20-year-old university student.
Solidarity
In a gesture of solidarity, local Filipino activists organized an interfaith service in memory of the victims earlier Sunday where they lit eight candles—one for each victim.
“We ask the Hong Kong people who are watching us not to blame us for what happened because we also did not want this kind of thing to happen. This is why we are holding this prayer—to send our sympathy and condolences to them,” said migrant worker Elma Oliva.
Philippine Vice Consul Val Roque said a text message was sent to members of the Filipino community asking them to “set aside what they are doing” and attend memorial Masses “to express their grief and sympathy.”
Roque downplayed fears of retribution against Filipinos, saying there had been no confirmed reports of harassment or physical abuse. But Filipinos in the territory said they had been warned to stay away from Chinese crowds.
“We are very worried to be living in a Chinese community now,” said Joy Fajardo, 30.
In a sign that feelings are running high, the message “Stop hiring Filipino domestic workers!!!” has sprung up on Facebook sites set up by Hong Kong people to mourn the hostage victims.
Frenzy of fear
A series of unconfirmed reports of Hong Kong employers trying to vent their anger by sacking or attacking their helpers has been widely circulating among Filipinos.
Fajardo said text messages had been exchanged saying that more than 30 Filipino maids had been sacked following the tragedy, including one whose contract was terminated allegedly because her family name was the same as the gunman’s.
On Friday, Fajardo said she received reports that three maids had been killed, with one of them having acid splashed over her face.
“We don’t know if these cases are true. But we are very scared,” she said.
Another Filipino worker, Julie, said her 60-year-old employer, for whom she has worked for 14 years, did not speak to her after the hostage crisis.
“She watched news on TV about the hijacking. She did not talk to me and did not give me dinner on Wednesday,” she said.
Berated on public transport
Many Filipino workers also complained about being berated on public transport in the aftermath of the siege.
The hysteria reflects the vulnerability of Filipino domestic workers, who underpin the city’s economy by taking care of the children and elderly relatives of working parents.
Under the law, a domestic worker must be paid a minimum salary of HK$3,580 (US$460) and a food allowance of HK$750 each month. They have to be given one day off every week.
“They do not want to return home because their salary in Hong Kong is higher than a police officer or a professor in the Philippines,” said Fermi Wong, founder of Unison Hong Kong, a group that helps ethnic minorities.
‘We’re not to blame’
Wong said she hoped Hong Kong people would not allow their anger and grief to transform into long-term hatred against the Filipinos.
“They were vulnerable even before the hostage siege. Now they feel even more vulnerable because they are guilty and ashamed. They feel they are morally responsible for what their government has done,” he said.
Diana Delossandos, a 30-year-old domestic helper, voiced the same hope.
“We are also shocked and angry with the way the Philippine government handled the hostage crisis. The reaction of our president is so disgusting, and our police are so stupid,” she said.
“But we are not supposed to be blamed.” Reports from Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
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