Manila shooting outcry hits Expo

• Source: Global Times
• [08:32 August 26 2010]
• Comments

By Shen Weihuang

Days after a Filipino ex-cop shot eight Hong Kong tourists dead during a bloody hostage in Manila, lengthy queues remained outside the Philippines Pavilion Wednesday, when the structure mourned for the victims despite Chinese Internet users requesting visitors to stay away from the structure inside the Expo Park.

The angry bloggers posted threads to national websites, pleading visitors to boycott the Philippines Pavilion at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai in response to the August 23 tragedy that has called into question Filipino officials' handling of the incident, which injured seven others.

"Please don't go to the Philippines Pavilion as a silent protest to the inefficient actions of the Philippines police force," one Internet user wrote on Sina's microblog, a platform that allows the online community to communicate with one another, also known as the Chinese version of Twitter.

The only member of the Philippines Pavilion willing to speak on the issue Wednesday, a woman surnamed Mabic, who preferred to remain unidentified, said that she was sorry for the Chinese victims and their families, but asked visitors not to stereotype all Filipinos as people with the same hearts and minds as that of the disgruntled shooter from her country.

"We are so sorry about the victims and their loved ones," she told the Global Times Wednesday. "I hope that people can understand that it was an isolated case, and one that has no bearing on the kind of people we are, or on the situation in our country."

As the Philippines Pavilion grieved the victims Wednesday with a moment of silence, and by shortening most performances, thousands of visitors poured into the structure to pay their respects, showing no signs of decline in the number of daily visitors to the structure. The pavilion has averaged more than 43,000 daily visitors this month, with that figure rising to 47,000 on Tuesday, a day after the tragic event.

"We hope that the friendship between our two countries will continue to grow strong," Mabic added.

Meanwhile, Shen Dingli, a professor of international relations at Fudan University, said that while the online comments may not be reflective of Chinese society as a whole, the statements should not be undermined.

"Filipino police obviously failed to do their job during the entire incident, and their poor handling of the situation is something that will affect their national image for a long time," he told the Global Times Wednesday. "It has also damaged the faith many travelers hold in the security of their safety in the country."