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On May 16, 2002, an explosion occurred at the Evergreen Hotel in Davao City, Philippines leaving guest Michael Meiring severely injured. The explosion was allegedly caused by dynamite kept by Meiring inside his hotel room.
| Date | May 16, 2002 |
|---|---|
| Location | Evergreen Hotel, Davao City, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 7°04′27″N 125°37′26″E / 7.07405°N 125.62380°E |
| Non-fatal injuries | 1 |
Background
editOn May 16, 2002, an explosion occurred at the Evergreen Hotel in Davao City, inside the room of American oncologist Michael Meiring. Meiring had reportedly been treasure hunting in the country since the 1990s. The explosion was allegedly caused by dynamite he was keeping inside the room. Meiring was confined at the Davao Doctors Hospital after he sustained third-degree burns and had his leg amputated.[1]
On May 19, 2002, agents from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reportedly brought Meiring out of Davao City to Manila via Subic Air through a chartered flight allegedly arranged by the US Embassy in Manila. By May 22, he was confined at the Makati Medical Center. Meiring's insurance could not cover the American's bills at the Davao Medical Center which is the reason reported for his immediate transfer.[1]
Victim
editMichael Meiring | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Terrence Meiring |
| Nationality | South Africa (former) United States |
| Occupation(s) | Doctor, Treasure hunter |
Michael Terrence Meiring[2] is a former citizen of South Africa. He reportedly practiced his profession as a doctor for the South African police while being affiliated with the African National Congress of Nelson Mandela.[3]
David Hawthorn, a close friend of Meiring, claimed that his friend confessed of giving of a box of old US federal notes to the Mandela government. The box was one of 12 with each estimated to contain $500 million each. Meiring secured permits from the Fidel Ramos administration to hunt for treasure in sunken American and Japanese ships. He later partnered with a powerful Manila-based group which has links to James Rowe. According to American intelligence analyst Dan Crawford, Rowe himself is linked to a Nevada white supremacist and tax revolt group which has connection the Neo-Nazi Party in the United States and the Fifth Reich group of Germany.[3]
Meiring's American friends suspected that the Manila group may have conspired against him.[3]
Legacy
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2017) |
In May 2016, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte attributed the event to causing his "hatred" towards the United States. Duterte condemned the United States government for assisting the criminal Meiring in leaving the country, disregarding the Philippine legal process.[4] He called the alleged act a disrespect against the sovereignty of the Philippines. Duterte says that he has received no apology from the United States for the incident.[2]
Duterte was Mayor of Davao City at the time of the incident. At that time, Duterte said that he held Meiring responsible for the incident, saying that he refused to cooperate with the police when they conducted a search in his room before the explosion.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Regelado, Edith (22 May 2002). "Hotel blast victim sneaked out of Davao by FBI?". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ a b Parco, Bernadette (22 October 2016). "Duterte: US took American bombing suspect from Davao City in 2002". GMA News. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
- ^ a b c Zumel-Sicat, Dorian; Andrade, Jeannette (30 May 2002). "Treasure hunter had white supremacists for associates". The Manila Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2002. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Paddock, Richard (13 May 2016). "Mysterious Blast in Philippines Fuels Rodrigo Duterte's 'Hatred' of U.S." New York Times. Retrieved 15 May 2017.