Pinoys in New South Wales urged to remain calm, vigilant amid Sydney hostage crisis

Flag with Arabic writing displayed by Sydney hostage-taker
Flag with Arabic writing displayed by Sydney hostage-taker. A screengrab taken from the Australian Channel Seven broadcast shows presumed hostages holding up a flag with Arabic writing inside a cafe in the central business district of Sydney on Monday, December 15. One armed man is holding an undisclosed number of hostages in a siege in Sydney, adding that it was yet to be deemed a terrorism event.AFP/Channel Seven
The Philippine government has called on Filipinos in New South Wales to be calm and vigilant after an armed man took several hostages in a café in Sydney on Monday, shocking the usually tranquil Australian city.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said the Department of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with its diplomatic posts in Canberra and Sydney in monitoring the unfolding hostage crisis.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Australia in this time of crisis and we hope that this unfortunate predicament will be resolved soon in a peaceful manner,” Jose told a press briefing.

Jose said the DFA has no available figure on the number of Philippine nationals living in Sydney, adding Manila has not received information of any Filipino involved in the incident.

The New South Wales police, he said, have yet to ascertain the nationalities of the hostages.

“We urge the members of the Filipino community in New South Wales to remain calm and vigilant as the Australian police continue to handle the situation,” Jose said.

The hostage-taker’s motivation was unknown but two of his hostages at the Lindt Chocolate Cafe were seen pressing a black flag with Arabic writing against the shop’s window. Reports said it is not an Islamic State flag. —Michaela del Callar/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vietnam condemns China's 'brutal behavior' in fisher attack ---- Agence France-Presse

HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam's foreign ministry condemned on Wednesday China's "brutal behavior" during a violent attack on Vietnamese fishers in the disputed South China Sea. The 10 fishermen were reportedly beaten with iron bars and robbed of thousands of dollars' worth of fish and equipment on Sunday off the Paracel Islands -- an archipelago in the resource-rich waterway claimed by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei. Vietnam "resolutely protests the brutal behavior of Chinese law enforcement forces against Vietnamese fishermen and fishing vessels operating in the Hoang Sa archipelago of Vietnam", foreign ministry spokesperson Vietnam Pham Thu Hang said in a statement, using the Vietnamese term for the Paracel Islands. "The above actions of Chinese law enforcement forces seriously violated Vietnam's sovereignty" over the archipelago, the statement said. Four of the Vietnamese crew were taken to hospital on Monday
Read more

Russia captures town after 2 years of Ukrainian resistance --- Reuters

Russian forces now control 98.5% of Luhansk, 60% of Donetsk MOSCOW: Russian troops on Wednesday took charge of the eastern Ukrainian town of Vuhledar, a bastion that had resisted intense attacks since Russia launched its full-scale assault in 2022. The advance of Moscow's forces, which control just under a fifth of Ukraine, has underlined Russia's vast superiority in men and materiel as Ukraine pleads for more weapons from the Western allies that have been supporting it. Ukraine's eastern military command said it had ordered a pullback from the hilltop coal mining town to avoid encirclement by Russian troops and "preserve personnel and military equipment". The Russian defense ministry did not mention Vuhledar in its daily battlefield report. Russian Telegram channels, however, published video of troops waving the Russian tricolor flag over shattered buildings. The town, which had a population of over 14,000 before the war, has been devastated, with Soviet-era
Read more

Africa roads are world’s deadliest despite few cars ---- AFP

ADDIS ABABA: Africa has the fewest roads and cars of any region, and yet the largest ratio of vehicle deaths, caused by the usual suspects — unsafe habits, speeding and drinking — but also poor infrastructure, scant rescuers and old cars. As everywhere, speed, alcohol and not wearing a seat belt or helmet are among the main causes of death and injury, say experts. But in Africa, where there are 620 traffic deaths every day, these problems are compounded by bad roads, outdated vehicles, minimal prosecutions and a shortage of emergency services. A recent World Health Organization report found that Africa surpassed the rest of the world, including Southeast Asia — which recorded the most road deaths — with a record ratio of 19.5 people killed per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021. Home to only around four percent of the world’s automobiles, Africa accounted for 19 percent of road deaths last year. “What is worrying is the upward trend in Africa,” said Jean Todt, a former head of the Internati
Read more