PHILIPPINES President Benigno Aquino III said yesterday that Manila's mayor, the recently retired police chief and journalists are among more than a dozen people who could be charged over last month's disastrous hostage standoff that killed eight Hong Kong tourists.

The recommended charges, both criminal and administrative, were part of a government investigation report on the August 23 hostage crisis that has been handed over to the Chinese ambassador.

Aquino said he will decide whether to approve the filing of charges, including against one of his close aides, after government lawyers have studied the lengthy report and he returns from a US trip next week.

He told a nationally televised news conference that his administration wanted to speedily render justice to the victims and help the survivors "get back to their lives."

"We are repairing relations with China," Aquino said.

The 11-hour hostage standoff on a bus parked at a historic Manila park - which millions watched on live TV - strained ties with China and its territory of Hong Kong and prompted thousands of tourists to cancel bookings.

Scrambling to deal with the fallout, Aquino created a fact-finding committee led by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who submitted an 83-page investigation report last Friday.

The report issued to the public did not contain the recommended charges or the identities of those implicated.

Aquino said they included Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Vice Mayor Iskho Moreno, recently retired national police chief Jesus Versoza, relieved Manila police chief Rodolfo Magtibay, his two negotiators and SWAT commandos involved in the bungled rescue. Aquino's close ally, Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno, also was named.

De Lima said the recommendations were "based on the evaluation of the actions, the non-action, the missteps, the lapses, the negligence, the incompetence" of the people involved.

Also facing charges were at least three journalists, including a radio anchor and reporter who were criticized during the investigation for interviewing the hostage-taker at the standoff's most tense moment, occupying a cell phone line that could have been used by police to make a last-ditch offer, Aquino said.

All the eight hostages were killed by the hostage-taker, the report said, noting that more tests were needed to verify if police gunfire hit some of the victims.

The hostage taker, decorated former police officer Rolando Mendoza, was demanding his job back, claiming he was innocent of extortion and illegalarrest charges that prompted his dismissal. He was killed during the rescue attempt.

Another seven Hong Kong tourists were wounded in the standoff.

• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• criminal [´kriminəl] a.犯罪的 n.罪犯 (初中英语单词)
• investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)
• ambassador [æm´bæsədə] n.大使 (初中英语单词)
• approve [ə´pru:v] v.赞成；同意；批准 (初中英语单词)
• conference [´kɔnfərəns] n.讨论(会)；会谈 (初中英语单词)
• administration [əd,minis´treiʃən] n.管理(事务等)；经营 (初中英语单词)
• cancel [´kænsəl] vt.删去；勾销；放弃 (初中英语单词)
• contain [kən´tein] v.包含；容纳；抑制 (初中英语单词)
• rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (初中英语单词)
• interior [in´tiəriə] n.&a.内部地(的) (初中英语单词)
• anchor [´æŋkə] n.锚 v.抛锚 (初中英语单词)
• innocent [´inəsənt] a.无罪的；单纯的 (初中英语单词)
• arrest [ə´rest] vt.逮捕 n.逮捕；停止 (初中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)
• studied [´stʌdid] a.故意的；有计划的 (高中英语单词)
• historic [his´tɔrik] a.有历史意义的 (高中英语单词)
• reporter [ri´pɔ:tə] n.报告人；记者；广播员 (高中英语单词)
• disastrous [di´zɑ:strəs] a.招致灾祸的；不幸的 (英语四级单词)
• administrative [əd´ministrətiv] a.管理的，行政的 (英语四级单词)
• speedily [´spi:dili] ad.迅速地 (英语四级单词)
• verify [´verifai] vt.检验；查对；证明 (英语四级单词)
• retired [ri´taiəd] a.退休的；通职的 (英语六级单词)
• august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)
• illegal [i´li:gəl] a.不合法的，非法的 (英语六级单词)