Philippines: Ex-policeman hijacks bus for job

Manila, Aug 23: Seeking to arm-twist authorities into reinstating him back, a dismissed policeman has taken a bus with 25 passengers hostage here.

The dismissed police inspector, armed with a high-powered assault rifle, took the bus in Manila hostage on Monday, Aug 23 morning. 22 out of 25 passengers on the white-blue-red bus are foreigners. Majority of the hostages are tourists from Hong Kong.

The policeman has so far released six hostages, including three children and three women, among whom were two Hong Kong tourists.

Quoting Manila District Police official Rodolfo Magtibay, CNN reported that the dismissed inspector has written a demand on a board and is displaying it in the bus windshield.

Police personnel have cordoned off the area as sharpshooters took positions around the bus, which was parked near a downtown Manila park.

Negotiations are underway as the Philippines tourism authorities are trying to resolve the situation quickly.

OneIndia News