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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
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.
'I dived under the counter': terrified waitress at Cebu restaurant tells of fatal shoot-out that left China envoy hospitalised, two consulate staff dead
Song Ronghua is reportedly undergoing treatment in hospital and the police have taken two suspects into custody
Song Ronghua, 53, in a file photograph. Photo: SCMP pictures
China’s envoy to Cebu in the Philippines is being treated in a local hospital after he was shot while eating lunch with staff members at a popular restaurant on Wednesday afternoon, sources close to the consulate general and the police say.
Song Ronghua was attending a birthday lunch at the Lighthouse Restaurant downtown when the shooting occurred at around 1.30pm.
The consulate’s No 2 Sun Shen and finance officer Li Hui were both hit – Sun in the neck and Li in the head, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported. They were declared at hospital, Cebu police said in a statement.
Song, 53, was sent to a nearby hospital, they said, and sources described his condition as stable.
Two people have been taken into custody as suspects in the shooting. The police identified the suspects as Li Qing Liang and his wife Guo Jing, a married couple.
A woman is treated and sent to the hospital after a shooting at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Cebu, Philippines. Photo: SCMP Pictures
CCTV footage showed Li walking out of the restaurant shortly after the shooting, according to the Inquirer. He appeared to have left behind a 45 calibre pistol, the police said. The firearm was later hidden by his wife, local media reported. A source said she worked in the consulate's visa section, and according to the police, the couple had invoked diplomatic immunity.
Two suspects talk to an interpreter (centre) at a police station in Cebu City, central Philippines. Photo: AFP
Sources said China's ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua would travel to Cebu tonight, a source at the consulate said.
Before becoming consul general in Cebu last month, Song, 53, was spokesman for the Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong from 2005 to 2010.
The entrance to the Lighthouse Restaurant. Photo: Twitter
Restaurant cashier Remedios Rivalde, 27, said she was at work at the cash register outside of the function room when she heard gunshots.
“I dived under the counter and covered my ears. Then there were other shots that followed,” Rivalde said.
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.
“They ordered a lot of food, but no liquor,” she said.
An investigator marks the crime scene at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Cebu. Photo: AP
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 AFP by phone.
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.
Chinese diplomat and husband detained by Cebu police over double-fatal shooting in Philippines restaurant
Two diplomats dead and former general consul to Hong Kong injured as Guo Jing and husband Li Qingliang invoked immunity while authorities investigate staff lunch
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 yesterday afternoon.
Consul general Song Ronghua
The consul general, Song Ronghua, 53, was sent to hospital and remains in a 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 by Cebu police. However both invoked immunity as they claim to be diplomats, according to the police.
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.
A senior government official in the Philippines confirmed to the South China Morning Post that the Chinese government has sought full diplomatic immunity for all its staff involved in the investigation.
The official, who asked not to be named, said full diplomatic immunity meant “they are immune from arrest, prosecution and detention, under the Vienna Convention”.
The official said they were awaiting word from the foreign affairs department on whether they could still proceed with questioning suspects and other Chinese consular staff who had witnessed the killings.
China and the Philippines have an agreement “that broadened the Vienna Convention and granted full immunity even to consular officials of both countries”, the source said.
The two countries also have an extradition treaty, the source added.
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.
A police investigator inspects the crime scene at Lighthouse Restaurant. Photo: AFP
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.
A police investigator inspects the crime scene where Chinese consul general Song Ronghua was wounded after a shooting incident at a restaurant, in Cebu City, central Philippines. Photo: AFP
Beijing invoked diplomatic immunity for its consulate staff in Cebu City in the Philippines who were involved in Wednesday's fatal shooting, local officials said. At least one of the two suspects is also a Chinese diplomat.
Consul general Song Ronghua, who was shot in the neck, remained in stable condition yesterday. The two diplomats killed in the attack were the consulate's No 2, Sun Shan, and finance officer Li Hui.
An investigator told the South China Morning Post that another, unidentified consular officer was hit by a ricocheting bullet and wounded slightly near the spine. She went to hospital but was released after receiving a tetanus shot.
Guo Jing, a visa section consul, and her husband, Li Qingliang, were taken into custody.
A senior government official in Manila said the Chinese government had invoked diplomatic immunity. The official, who asked not to be named, said full diplomatic immunity meant "they are immune from arrest, prosecution and detention, under the Vienna Convention".
China and the Philippines had also agreed in 2009 to a deal that "broadened the Vienna Convention and granted full immunity even to consular officials of both countries", the source said.
Shooting suspect Guo Jing. Photo: AFP
The shooting happened soon after nine people from the consulate in Cebu finished lunch in the main dining room celebrating the birthday of new consul general Song on Wednesday, according to an investigator, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the person wasn't authorised to speak publicly on the matter.
None of the survivors had agreed to be questioned by the police and the two bodies had not been sent for autopsy because no consent had been given by close kin, the source said.
There was no CCTV inside the main dining area, the investigator stressed. Surveillance outside the main dining room recorded a woman running, being shot from behind and falling face down on the floor. Only a portion of a hand holding the gun is visible in the footage.
Shooting suspect Li Qingliang, Guo Jing's husband. Photo: AFP
The investigator said a frame-by-frame analysis showed the triggerman was male. The police believe Li was the gunman. Philippines foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement that "the shooting was an extreme act of a relative of a staff of the consulate general".
At a regular press briefing in Beijing, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying confirmed that two Chinese diplomats had been killed and another injured in a shooting in Cebu. "We are deeply saddened about the incident … and we are still investigating the reasons and situation behind it," Hua said.
Professor Niu Zhongjun, of the China Foreign Affairs University, said diplomats formally dispatched by the foreign ministry would be entitled to immunity, regardless of their official position."The immunity is a form of respect from the receiving country," Niu said.
In July, 1982, Tang Jiansheng, a translator at the Chinese embassy in Maputo, Mozambique, killed nine staff with a gun within the embassy compound.
Guo Jing (left) and husband Li Qingliang (right). Photo: SMP Pictures
A Chinese consular officer and her husband, who allegedly killed two other Chinese diplomats and wounded their consul-general in a Philippine city, have been taken back to China where they will be tried, officials said yesterday.
Philippine police turned over the couple to Chinese authorities, who flew them to Xiamen , Fujian province on a chartered flight on Friday, two days after the fatal shooting at a restaurant, Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said.
Police say the consul's husband has been accused of killing diplomats Sun Shan and Li Hui and wounding consul-general Song Ronghua on Wednesday at the Lighthouse Restaurant in Cebu, where China had established a consulate.
Jose said the Chinese government had invoked diplomatic immunity for the couple under the 1961 Vienna Convention and a 2009 bilateral accord between Beijing and Manila.
An investigator marks the crime scene where the two people were killed inside the Lighthouse Restaurant. Photo: AP
"They will be tried under Chinese law," Jose said. "They [Chinese authorities] asked for help, so the evidence obtained by [the Philippine police] will be shared with them."
Regional police director chief superintendent Prudencio Tom Banas said the couple had not issued any statement that could explain the motive for the shooting partly because they could not speak English. The victims and the suspects were attending a birthday lunch in a private room at the restaurant when the shooting occurred, Banas said.
Police senior superintendent Rey Lyndon Lawas said one of the restaurant staff heard arguments "over financial matters," before shots were fired.
According to a Wechat message post by a friend of Song's, the diplomat said he was trying to stop the shooter and was hit by two bullets.
"Thank you all for your love and blessings," Song was quoted as saying.
China has previously insisted on trying its citizens accused of crimes in other countries.
In July, 1982, Tang Jiansheng, a translator at the Chinese embassy in Maputo, Mozambique, killed nine staff with a gun within the embassy compound.
