Police to hand over Cebu restaurant shooting suspects to Chinese embassy
CEBU CITY – The local police are set to hand over the Chinese couple allegedly involved in the shooting of two Chinese consulate officials inside the Lighthouse restaurant along Gen. Maxilom Avenue, this city, Wednesday afternoon.
Chinese consul Sun Shan and Hui Li, a female finance officer of the Chinese Consular Office in Cebu City were shot in the head and neck by suspect, retired Chinese Consul Li Qing liang, and injured Consul General Song Ronghua when a bullet hit the latter’s hand. Li Qing liang wife, Gou Jing, 57, is alleged to have tried to hide the gun used in shooting Sun Shan and Hui Li.
Police Regional Office – Central Visayas (PRO-7) Director Chief Supt. Prudencio Bañas told reporters that based on an existing bilateral accord, the suspects will be turned over to the Chinese Embassy and the Chinese government for prosecution.
Bañas made the pronouncement following a command conference Thursday morning. Apparently careful with his statements, the PRO-7 chief said the two suspects could not be charged in Philippine courts because of a bilateral agreement between the Philippines and the People’s Republic of Chia (PROC)
He cited Article 35 of the bilateral agreement, which provides absolute immunity to officials – either consuls or ambassadors – of both the Philippines and PROC should they figure in any crime in the country they are assigned into.
Bañas said he called the Department of Foreign Affairs to seek guidance about the case and was told that the Chinese Embassy had invoked diplomatic immunity based on an earlier agreement between China and the Philippines.
The police chief also refused to divulge the motive of the shooting which resulted in Sun Shan and Hui Li’s death.
The injured Consul General was rushed to the hospital after the shooting incident which occurred at 1:19 in the afternoon.
The group of Chinese consulate officials and staff were celebrating a birthday, complete with party hats and birthday songs, inside the Lighthouse restaurant on Gen. Maxilom Avenue in Cebu City when the shooting occurred.
The incident was captured by closed-circuit television (CCTV) inside the restaurant.
The video capture showed Li Qingjiang firing at the victims. His wife, Gou Jing, was also seen in the footage taking her husband's gun from the table after the shooting.
Qing liang and Jing were taken into custody by the Cebu City Intelligence Bureau (CIB) after the latter picked them up from the Chinese Consular office at the Cebu Business Park shortly after the incident.
As of press time yesterday, Bañas said the police was waiting for Chinese embassy personnel to pick up the two suspects.