Philippine businessmen to help compensate victims of hostage crisis

Dec 17, 2010, 8:26 GMT

Manila - Filipino businessmen have volunteered to help compensate the victims of a hostage crisis in the Philippine capital that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead, a government spokesman said Friday.

Foreign ministry spokesman Eduardo Malaya said several businessmen had said they were raising funds for the injured and the families of those who died in the August 23 tragedy.

'A friendship group here in the Philippines has raised some funds to assist those who perished and those critically injured in the incident,' he said. 'These are primarily Filipino businessmen with ties with Hong Kong.'

Malaya did not say how much money the government would give to the families of those who died when security forces stormed a bus after a 10-hour standoff with a former police officer who had taken the 25 passengers hostage, most of them Hong Kong tourists.

On Thursday, Philippine Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim visited Hong Kong and met with the former British colony's leader Donald Tsang to discuss Manila's efforts to prevent a repeat incident.

Lim also told Hong Kong officials that charges have been filed against six police officers involved, and against the city's mayor.

Hong Kong has maintained a black travel alert, advising residents to avoid all travel to the Philippines, since the hostage fiasco.

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