Philippines Sends Hostage Report to China

Philippine Acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Esteban Conejos Jr. handed over to Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao a copy of the report by the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) on the August 23 hostage-taking incident at the Department of Foreign Affairs Monday morning.

Conejos Jr. reiterated to the Chinese Ambassador the country's deep sorrow and condolences to the victims of the incident, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

He also conveyed his appreciation to the assistance provided by the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in securing the testimonies of the survivors and the conduct of ballistic examinations.

He hoped that the report provides answers to the queries raised by the victims' families and other parties.

Ambassador Liu expressed his personal thanks to Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo for his close cooperation and coordination during and in the aftermath of the incident.

Ambassador Liu also affirmed that Philippine-Chinese relations remains strong, resilient and dynamic.

Annexed to the report were nine folios containing transcripts of the hearings, testimonies, forensic reports and other information gathered by the IIRC.

The Philippine investigation committee has recommended sanction against senior local and police officials found liable for the mishandling of the August 23 hostage crisis that led to the death of eight tourists from Hong Kong, President Benigno Aquino III said Monday.

(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2010)