Chinese diplomat and husband held by Cebu police over double-fatal Philippines restaurant shooting which injured official formerly posted to Hong Kong claim diplomatic immunity
Guo Jing and her partner Li Qingliang have invoked immunity as authorities try to piece together how a staff lunch turned violent, leaving two dead and the consul general shot in the neck
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 21 October, 2015, 11:53pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 22 October, 2015, 12:36am
Keira Lu Huang
[email protected]
and Raissa Robles in Manila
An investigator marks the crime scene where the two people were killed inside the Lighthouse Restaurant. Photo: AP
A diplomat and her husband from China’s general consulate in Cebu City in the central Philippines have been detained over a shooting that left two diplomats dead and the consul general injured early Wednesday afternoon.
The consul general, Song Ronghua, 53, was sent to hospital and remained in stable condition. Song only took up the position in Cebu last month. Previously, he was spokesman for the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong from 2005 to 2010.
The consulate’s No 2, Sun Shan, and finance officer Li Hui were declared dead at hospital, according to a police statement and sources close to the matter.
The two suspects, Guo Jing and her husband, Li Qingliang, have been taken into custody. However both invoked immunity as they claim to be diplomats, according to the police.
Consul general Song Ronghua was in stable condition in hospital in Cebu. He was shot in the neck but the wound was "through and through", the police said. Photo: AP
A source close to the diplomatic mission said Guo worked at the visa service department.
The police suspect Li was the shooter and have yet to determine the extent of the wife’s involvement. A 45 calibre gun was found at the scene.
Song was shot at the back of his neck “but the wound was through and through”, said Cebu Police Office director Mariano Batiancela.
Sun was also shot in the neck while Li suffered a head wound, according to a police statement.
“The investigation is ongoing. We have not talked to the suspects or the consul general because we are waiting for an official from the Chinese embassy in Manila who is on his way here now,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment and calls to the Cebu consulate went unanswered.
The entrance of the Lighthouse Restaurant where the shooting occured. Photo: SCMP Pictures
While the safety of Chinese diplomats has drawn attention in recent years given the country’s more proactive role in conflict zones, such violence among Chinese overseas diplomatic missions is extremely rare.
Several local businessmen said Song was not well known among locals because he was new to Cebu. Many met him for the first time at a banquet last month to celebrate China’s National Day.
The shooting took place after midday inside the popular Lighthouse Restaurant where Song was reportedly celebrating his birthday, although the purpose of the gathering had not yet been confirmed by the police.
Media reports said nine people in all, including the two suspects, were present at that time.
Filipinos pass by a car allegedly belonging to the Chinese consulate parked outside the Lighthouse Restaurant in Cebu. Photo: EPA
Lighthouse manager Stephen John Patero said the shooting occurred in a private room of the upmarket restaurant, which is a favourite for local politicians.
“We did not really see the actual shooting. They were inside a private function room. There was a series of gunshots,” Patero told Agence France-Presse.
But he said waiters who served them beforehand had heard the guests shouting at each other. “They are all friends who apparently figured in an argument,” he said, citing the waiters.
Restaurant cashier Remedios Rivalde, 27, said she was outside the function room when she heard gunshots, Agence France-Presse reported.
“I dived under the counter and covered my ears. Then there were other shots that followed.”
She said the reservation had been made shortly before lunch for the consul general’s birthday, and the group had ordered a banquet that included popular local delicacies such as tuna head, shrimps and roasted pork, Agence France-Presse reported.
“They ordered a lot of food, but no liquor,” she said.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported surveillance camera footage showed Li walking out of the restaurant shortly after the shooting, leaving his firearm behind, which his wife later hid.
A source close to the consulate said ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua was aware of the tragedy and expected to arrive in Cebu later last night.
