Gunmen take over school bus in Manila, kids held

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Gunmen take over school bus in Manila, kids held

Reuters
Tuesday, March 27, 2007; 10:47 PM

MANILA (Reuters) - Two armed men took over a school bus in the
Philippine capital Manila on Wednesday and were holding 32 children and
two teachers hostage, police and television reports said.

It appeared they wanted to highlight the lack of educational opportunities
for children from a local slum community.

-snip-

Television showed pictures of children waving from inside the bus, but they
did not appear to have been harmed. Reports said the men were armed with
an Uzi submachine gun, a .45 revolver and two grenades.

The children were from the Tondo day-care center, in a poor district of the
capital, and were being taken on a tour of Manila.

The bus was surrounded by an elite police team and negotiations were in
progress, the reports said.

-snip-


Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032702303.html

[GoddessOfGuinness]

1. What sort of government do they have,

that people feel the only way to get their point across is to participate in dangerous, idiotic stunts like this?

[4bucksagallon]

2. The philippines is a poor country but the people are very hard workers, and many of them............

have to go overseas to find suitable work. Desperation drives people to do desperate things.

[muryan]

3. taking children hostage is not desperation

its cowardice plain and simple. No empathy for these kinds of people and they deserve whatever consequences come their way, regardless of severity

[Eugene]

4. Deal seen in Philippine hostage drama

Source: Reuters

Deal seen in Philippine hostage drama
28 Mar 2007 09:06:32 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Updates with police saying deal reached)

By Manny Mogato

MANILA, March 28 (Reuters) - Philippine police agreed a deal
with a gunman who on Wednesday seized a bus full of children
and teachers from a day care centre and was still holding them
hostage seven hours later, a spokesman said.

The man identified as Jun Ducat, accompanied by at least one
other man and believed to be armed with grenades, an Uzi
submachine gun and a revolver, had earlier freed one child but
was holding another 31 and at least two teachers hostage.

"There's been an agreement for him to surrender at 7 p.m.," said
police spokesman Cipriano Querol, referring to the hostage-taker.

He said the man would surrender at 7 p.m. (1100 GMT).

-snip-

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP312971.htm

---

Original story: PHILIPPINE POLICE SAY HOSTAGE-TAKER TO SURRENDER AT 7 P.M. (1100 - Reuters

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Manila bus siege children freed; 2 hostage-takers have surrendered

A group of children held hostage on board a bus by the head of their day care centre in the Philippines have been freed.

The 32 children and two teachers were released after spending several hours in the bus by a man identified as Jun Ducat and another armed hostage-taker.

Mr Ducat said he had carried out the drastic action to demand better housing and education for the children.

The two hostage-takers came out with their hands raised.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6501695.stm