Philippines probes botched hijack bus rescue

MANILA (Reuters) - Commanders of a botched rescue of a hijacked Philippine tourist bus have been ordered on leave and weapons from the raid tested to determine responsibility for the deaths of eight hostages, police said on Wednesday.

Later in the day, most of the bodies of the victims and survivors were flown back to Hong Kong on a chartered jet.

President Benigno Aquino said the SWAT team's slow-motion attempts to storm the bus, broadcast live around the world by TV networks, had left him exasperated, but he defended his management of the crisis.

"There was an expectation that the appropriate forces would be utilized for this, who have been trained," Aquino told reporters. "This thing shouldn't have happened."

The kidnapper, a disgruntled ex-policeman, was shot dead by police and eight of the hostages were also killed -- either by the gunman or in the rescue -- prompting anger in China and Hong Kong and demands for a thorough investigation.

The crisis is seen as an early test of Aquino's leadership, which was questioned before his election win in May, given a lackluster political career. His low profile during the crisis -- Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang said he could not get his call returned on Monday -- has drawn criticism.

Aquino, who rang Tsang on Tuesday, had said he had monitored the situation but was also dealing with other issues.

He also said he had been advised not to be seen reacting to the hostage-taker, and had thought it best to leave experts to handle the crisis.

"You had others who were grandstanding, others who became talking heads without the necessary knowledge, without even thinking through the impact of their statements, and I wanted to set an example to everybody," Aquino said.

Wednesday was declared a day of mourning in the Philippines, and most survivors, relatives of the victims, and the victims' bodies returned to Hong Kong on an evening flight.

Two pipers played Amazing Grace as the white caskets were wheeled out from the Cathay Pacific jet and wreaths laid over them by senior officials and relatives dressed in black.

"These past three days have been dark days for Hong Kong," Hong Kong's chief secretary, Henry Tang, said on the tarmac.

An 18-year-old who underwent brain surgery remained in intensive care in Manila, alongside his mother, Amy Leung, another survivor. Three members of their family, Canadian citizens, were killed, including the father and two daughters.

Many Hong Kong residents, clearly jolted by the tragedy, visited commemoration sites and signed condolence books. A three-minute's silence was planned for Thursday morning.

Thousands of Hong Kong residents sought alternate nationality before the former British colony reverted to China's control in 1997 and hold dual citizenship.

NO FAULT YET

All 200 members of the SWAT team have been ordered to submit their weapons for ballistic testing, Philippine National Police spokesman Agrimero Cruz told a news briefing.

"We don't see any fault yet on the part of the SWAT team leaders but they were ordered relieved administratively so they cannot influence the outcome of the investigation. That's a standard practice," Cruz said.

Chief Superintendent Rodolofo Magtibay, the head of police in the area of the capital where the bloody siege took place, had taken responsibility and also offered to stand aside, Cruz said.

On Tuesday, the national police said there had been "defects" including poor handling of the negotiations, and that the assault team was inadequately trained, equipped and led.

"Admitting some misconduct or some deficiencies right away was I think a good approach," said Pete Troilo, director of business intelligence at consultancy Pacific Strategies and Assessments (PSA) in Manila.

(Additional reporting by Manny Mogato and by James Pomfret in Hong Kong; Editing by John Mair and Ron Popeski)