What Kills Us This Week!

Hong Kong is ANGRY!  Normally we don't DO angry, but we are very definitely angry now.

Yup, it's over the hi-jacking and murder of HK tourists by a disgruntled policeman in the Philippines!

It's not just the fact that the Filipino police hardly took it seriously and just stood by the hi-jacked bus, laughing, talking and eating, for so many hours! It's not just that they completely botched the rescue operation! Much more important fuel for this anger is the relaxed, laughing, beaming, grinning PM at the press conference to announce the deaths!  It's that big goofy grin! It's that it was like he found our dead an enormous joke! That what's done it to us!

And, yes, it's also the fact that the lying has already started!  It's the fact that they are now denying Aquino refused to take Our Donald's calls!  It's the fact that Aquino's aide told Our Donald, our very own Head of State, on three different occasions during the day, that he wasn't important enough to be put through to the Philippines Head of State, and now they say that we're wrong and such an incident didn't happen even once, let alone three times!

And, yes, it's also that there's the comment that Our Donald's aide said Aquino's aide made "You're part of China so, if it's that important, get the Chinese Head of State to ring us!" which totally denies our own sovereignty and trampolines on our proudly defended SAR status.

And it's also the fact we don't think they're going to do a serious inquiry into what actually happened.  AND the fact that they won't involve the HK police force, who always do that British-trained proper transparency, in the inquiry!

And, definitely, all those Filipinos using the bus as a laughing, joking photo op:

Yup, we are angry!

The Philippines may be treating this as a huge joke but they appear to be forgetting that their nation's single largest source of revenue is the wages sent home from HK by our enormous army of Filipina maids, so the only winner from their surprisingly callous attitude, as far as I can see, is Indonesia!

Hey, Aquino!,  Hong Kong has already noticed that Indonesian maids come much cheaper, don't have a bolshy Union, and are willing to work harder and for a lot more hours! (Do you know, I can't believe I said that! Boy, I must be cross!)

Already people here are expressing their rage by sacking their maids, and factory employers are asking their Filipino employees not to come in to work for fear of reprisals.

Already Filipina maids are taking to the streets in large numbers to protest against their own country's behaviour.  They're saying they feel ashamed and embarrassed by Aquino and by the demonstrated corruption in their own government that is obviously behind this whole thing ...

... and even taking out ads in the newspapers saying much the same thing.

And already Jackie Chan has felt the need to be Hong Kong's very own white knight to protect the HK Filipino community:  "Hong Kong does not HATE!!!" is his catchcry in all this, which may be simplistic in substance, but nonetheless is definitely working because it's bringing us up short and making us rethink our response.

Nonetheless, hate or not!, I think the Philippines needs to get its act together.  Gosh, remember how joyous we all felt only two months ago when that hideous and clearly-corrupt Gloria Arroyo was thrown out of power, and - how wonderful! how just! how right!- was replaced by a member of that lovely and heroic Aquino family!  What a LAUGH that's turned into, la!

So that would have to be my choice for this week:

THREATDOWN

HATE!!!