Thumbs down to

Thumbs down to the Manila police force and the so called "S.W.A.T" team;

i watched with appall the hostage crisis yesterday in Manila live from CNA from 1915LT to ~2100LT and can understand why negative criticisms of the Manila police and task force have been pouring in fiercely from all over. Even though i reminded myself that we who were sitting at home knew not what problems those facing the situation have to put up with should not criticize unless we've walked a few miles in their shoes, i couldn't help but feel frustrated when i saw the sluggish and shameful behavior of the Manila task force during the rescue mission.

i pulled my hair looking at how they foolishly tried to smash the windows and rear door with what the police chief director admitted was the only tool that they had in the inventory at that time for the job - sledgehammers, that ultimately did not do a good job and might even have caused more harm to the hostages; the question in my head at that point of time was: wouldn't this further agitate the already agitated and desperate gunman? i read that some who had watched earlier footage saw there were a few opportunities earlier when the police could have shot the gunman point blank when he stood in view near the door but they did not do so.

And so i pulled more hair when the police continued to laboriously hammer through the glass of the front door with the pathetic sledgehammer and then tried to yank it off by childishly tying a thin piece of rope/string around the middle portion of the door which, obviously would not work. i think i don't have to walk a few miles in their shoes to figure that before attempting.

i bit my lips when more and more gunshots were heard from inside the bus and the police were retreating and then behaving like blinded flies,with no apparent plans.

After more police arrived and after throwing in a tear gas grenade into the bus through one of the broken windows,i couldn't believe it when i saw the 'special task force' team squeezing into the tear gas- filled bus without proper masks and were so obviously choked that they had to rush out of the bus, but not without first firing some shots through the smoky interior and drawing the gunman to fire in return; now, the question in my head then was :in such a smoky environment, could the police have seen clearly before they open fire? Could more hostages have been shot accidentally due to misfire or by the gunman during the retaliation?

The gunman's body eventually slumped out of the front door, shot, officially by the police, though i wonder if he actually shot himself. Despite what he had done, i can't help but feel a tinge of pity for him. He must have felt deep grievances which he felt were not addressed. His mental state was probably already pushed to extremes when he resorted to something so desperate to capture the attention of the world. The fact that he had released some hostages earlier, as well as asked for food for the remaining hostages and petrol to keep the air condition running appeared to me he had not meant to kill the hostages from the start. What apparently triggered the firing was the breakdown of the negotiation process when he saw his brother arrested. i'm shocked to read today that the police are prosecuting the gunman's brother, also a police officer who was present at the scene to speak to the gunman during the negotiation process, for allegedly conspiring with the gunman in this hostage business and for triggering the firing that followed. If he were to be prosecuted, then the gunman's superiors and the team who had acted so bizarrely throughout the crisis should all be prosecuted !!!

Thumbs down to President Aquino

Where was he throughout the long ordeal ? Comfortably in his palace, yet, could not be reached by Donald Tsang, the HK chief.

According to The Nation, Mr Aquino explained:"We were going to wait him out. The idea was to let the ground commanders who are the experts in this field handle the operation with minimal interference from people who are less expert." and went on to blame the media coverage as well as the presence of the gunman's brother for the tragic twist of events.

Well, it seemed that his trusted 'experts' in the field ain't no experts after all, and Mr President, if the experts themselves did not handle the situation in a satisfying manner, how could you blame the media who were not in the first place banned from being there? or the poor brother who was trying to help his desperate kin? Please look at the incompetency of your government,yourself and your securities force and wipe off that idiotic grin/irking smile from your face if you were at all sincere in offering your condolences,it's not a funny matter! Even though you obviously do not deserve any respect yourself, do respect the lives of others!

With so many presidents past and present that seemed no better than each other and corruption and crime known to be rife throughout all levels amongst those in power and authority, i feel sorry for the people of that nation. But msot of all, my heart goes to those whose loved ones had died unnecessarily in this tragedy which surely could have been averted if the authorities had handled it with more seriousness and brains. As i watched one of the lady survivors whose husband died during the shootout, relating brokenheartedly how she had thought of dying with her husband but only dismissed the thought after remembering that at least one of the parents must live to take care of their kids,(unfortunately she had to discover later that 2 of her daughters had also died in the shootout) my tears flowed, imagine a family vacation turning into such a lurid nightmare.

i have not and would not wish to travel to the Philippines despite its luring beaches and underwater paradise. i'm not surprised that their tourism industry will suffer further after this tragedy and should rightly be so to hopefully push their government/people to look more seriously into their mounting problems. i've been to and would not mind travelling again to other places that may not be the safest on earth: Kashmir, Pakistan, Xinjiang, the middle east and all the other ASEAN countries,

as for Philippines?