Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung said Tuesday that the Philippine government is going to bear the medical cost of a victim of the Manila hostage incident.
Leung said that the long overdue payment came after his request to Philippine President Aquino III, who later transmitted the money to Yik Siu-ling, whose under jaw was shattered by a bullet in the tragedy, for her imminent surgery operation.
Meanwhile, Aquino has also sent his government’s cabinet secretary to Hong Kong to negotiate with Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok and Chief Executive’s Office Director Edward Yau concerning the details for the compensation arrangements for the survivors and deceased persons’ families, Leung said.
Yik has been suffering from difficulties of eating, with scars left on her chin, after a few previous surgery operations. These were attributed to a shoot-out by Filipino policeman Rolando Mendoza in the bus hostage in Manila three years ago. Mendoza killed seven Hong Kong people in the incident.
Leung said Yik expressed gratitude for the compensation from the Philippines. He said that the incident has not been resolved, but what the country did had served to make a good start for further progress to achieve a satisfactory outcome.
Xinhua