Manila hostage fiasco inquest wraps up in HK 03/24/2011

Manila hostage fiasco inquest wraps up in HK

03/24/2011
HONG KONG — An inquest probing a Manila bus hijacking that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead wrapped up with the jury expected to return a verdict as early as Wednesday.

The inquest held at the city’s Coroner’s Court heard from 31 Hong Kong witnesses and 10 from the Philippines.

The five-member jury was charged with determining the victims’ cause of death — including death by misadventure and unlawful killing — and whether they agreed or disagreed with statements made during the five-week hearing, the South China Morning Post reported.

“It was a tragedy that could have been avoided,” Hectar Pun, a lawyer for the victims’ families, was quoted as saying during his closing submissions.

“It was because of the incompetence of the Philippines’ police that eight people died and others were injured.”.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20110324hed2.html