HK police to return 3 phones in hostage probe mix-up

The Hong Kong police will return the three mobile phones that the Manila authorities have mistakenly handed over along with the personal belongings of the victims of the August 23 hostage tragedy.

According to a news report of the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on Monday, the Hong Kong police confirmed on Sunday that some of the mobile phones turned over to them by the Philippine authorities did not belong to the Hong Kong victims.

The mix-up was revealed on Saturday when the Philippine investigating team discovered that one of the two phones that the hostage-taker used on August 23 was missing.

"Of the eight phones that were given to them, only five were identified as belonging to the Hong Kong victims," said Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The Philippine National Police (PNP) is an attached agency of the DILG.

Robredo is the vice-chairman of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) probing the August 23 hostage incident.

On that day, a dismissed senior police inspector, Rolando Mendoza, hijacked a tourist bus carrying 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. The hostage-taker was demanding for his reinstatement and the dismissal of a pending case against him at the Office of the Ombudsman. After an 11-hour standoff, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed.

The Philippine investigating panel was also told that Mendoza used at least two phones on August 23.

One was supplied by the police negotiators to communicate with him. The other was his personal phone, from which alleged copies of text messages he received have been leaked to the media. Most of the messages were from relatives pleading with him to surrender.

It is not yet certain whether the phone of hijacker Mendoza was among the three phones that were mistakenly handed over to the Hong Kong police.

"At this point, we can't really make a conclusion if the three phones are relevant or material," said Robredo, who believed one of the phones might have belonged to one of the Filipinos who accompanied the Hong Kong tour group.

According to the SCMP news report, Hong Kong legislator James To Kun-sun, deputy chairman of the Legislative Council's security panel, urged local police to return the phones to the Manila authorities as soon as possible.

"The last thing we want to see is that Manila will make use of this as an excuse to delay the inquiry," To was quoted as saying.

The five-member Philippine panel probing the incident will extend its investigation. The panel was earlier expected to complete its work today but needs more time to interview other witnesses and stage a reenactment of the hostage incident.

The investigating team will submit a formal report to President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and the Hong Kong government.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong police granted a request for assistance from Philippine authorities, who will be sending a delegation to Hong Kong to interview the victims. –VVP, GMANews.TV

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