Photos of students and policemen posing at the Manila site where Monday's bloody hostage drama happened are being circulated online, particularly on social networking website Facebook and web forums.


Controversial photos of students and policemen posing in front of the hijacked bus in which 8 Hong Kong tourists lost their lives are spreading online(Reuters image)

Reuters image

Students pose for photographs near the damaged tourist bus involved in an armed hostage in Manila August 24, 2010. Philippine authorities defended on Tuesday their handling of a bus hostage crisis in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed, but missteps were seen as signs of deeper deficiencies in a country beset by security problems.

Some students were seen smiling while posing during the picture-taking at the site (see picture above)

Having been alerted to the issue, government spokesperson Edwin Lacierda was quoted by local news sites as urging all Filipinos to accord proper respect to the victims of the unfortunate hostage incident.

"Let's not try to belittle the incident. Let's not try to trivialize the incident. Let's respect the situation. Let's respect the place right now," Lacierda said. "It's a place of grief, let's respect."

He then added, "We ask all Filipinos to respect that particular area."

Nine people including the hijacker, decorated ex-policeman Rolando Mendoza, were killed on Monday evening during the final moments of a 12-hour bus hijack tragedy.

Commandos tasked to rescue the hostages, who were mainly Hong Kong tourists, failed to get into the bus for more than an hour after smashing its windows with sledgehammers. The ordeal, which was broadcasted live over major global television networks, has resulted in an international humiliation for the Philippine government.

The bodies of the eight victims were on Wednesday night flown back to Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Philippine president Benigno Aquino's appeal for a stop to government bashing on Facebook over the tragic incident has been ignored by the Internet users.

His official Facebook page, originally intended to promote transparency in government, has been flooded with protesters' angry comments on the government's incompetencies in handling the crisis that resulted in nine deaths.

READ MORE:Philippines' Aquino calls for end to Facebook bashing

"Shame on you and your government. Tender your resignation now," wrote Elfis Lee, a Hong Kong resident. "Your incompetence of leading your untrained stupid police force caused such a tragedy."

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