HONG KONG - JOY Fajardo likes to spend her Sundays meeting friends from her home town in Chater Garden, a famous gathering spot for the Philippine community at the heart of Hong Kong's financial centre.
But this Sunday was an exception. The 30-year-old said she was warned to stay away from Chinese crowds for fear of retribution over the dramatic hostage crisis that left eight Hong Kong tourists dead in Manila on Monday. 'We are very worried to be living in a Chinese community now,' Ms Fajardo told AFP.
In a sign that feelings are running high, the message 'Stop hiring Filipino domestic workers!!!' has sprung up on Facebook sites set up by Hong Kong people to mourn the hostage victims.
The hostage drama has whipped up a frenzy of fear and rumours in the 200,000-strong Philippine community in Hong Kong, where most are employed as domestic helpers. A series of unconfirmed reports of Hong Kong employers trying to vent their anger by sacking or attacking their helpers has been widely circulating among Filipinos.
Ms Fajardo said text messages had been exchanged saying that more than 30 Filipina maids have been sacked following the tragedy, including one whose contract was terminated allegedly because her family name was the same as the gunman's.
On Friday, Ms Fajardo said she received reports that three maids had been killed, with one of them having acid splashed over her face. 'We don't know if these cases are true. But we are very scared,' she said.
Another Filipina worker, Julie, said her 60-year-old employer, for whom she has worked for 14 years, did not speak to her after the hostage crisis. 'She watched news on TV about the hijacking. She did not talk to me and did not give me dinner on Wednesday,' she said. 'I was worried because she's not happy and I didn't understand what the Chinese news was about.'
Many also complained about being berated on public transport in the aftermath of the siege. -- AFP
