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Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying yesterday announced that from Feb. 5, his government will suspend the visa-free arrangement it has for Filipino diplomats and government officials. The move, Leung said, is in protest over the Philippines' continued failure to apologize for a hostage incident where eight tourists from Hong Kong were killed and seven were wounded.
Leung said he made the decision to suspend the policy after recent negotiations with Filipino officials failed to produce a suitable resolution.
"The Philippines side is still unable to meet the demand of the victims and the families for a formal apology," he said, "despite many rounds of negotiations."
The policy suspension stands to affect the 700 to 800 Filipino diplomats and officials who visit Hong Kong each year. According to Leung, yesterday's move was only the "first phase of sanctions." Further sanctions may be implemented if the suspension fails to produce the desired results.
The dispute between the nations points back to an Aug. 23, 2010 incident in which a Filipino police officer hijacked a tourist bus in Manila to protest his firing. The bus was carrying over 20 tourists from Hong Kong at the time. After negotiations broke down, a gunfight between the hijacker and Filipino police resulted in the death and wounding of the Hong Kong tourists.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino has refused to apologize for the incident stating that the police officers were not at fault and that the deaths and injuries were due to the hijacker's actions.
Sources say that the visa-policy suspension is the first sanction that the Hong Kong government ever slapped on another country. According to a representative of the victims' families, "it sends a very clear message that the government is very determined to fight for justice for the Hong Kong people."
