Aussie Shot In Phillipines

[nohab]

Sad story from Sydney newspaper today.

A 67-year-old Australian man has been shot dead by a Filipino man at a beach resort in the central Philippines, a police report says.

The victim, Jim Burney, was having a drink with a friend at the resort in Tangalan town in Aklan province, 360km south of Manila, when he was attacked, the report said on Tuesday.

It said the suspect, Pedrito Carlos, 35, was having a drink at a different table then approached Burney and shot him on Monday without any provocation.

Burney suffered two gunshot wounds to the head and died on the spot, the report said.

Carlos fled on his motorcycle but was arrested by police when he had an accident near the town church.

Investigators recovered the gun used in the killing and are still determining the motive behind the attack.

[Jimjim]

Either it's a senseless act of random violence or there's more than meets the eye.

[saintofsilence]

im Burney shot dead at Philippines resort

From correspondents in ManilaAgence France-PresseMay 26, 2009 04:50pm+-PrintEmailShare

View Tangalan in a larger map

Australian shot dead in Philippines

Shooter may have acted out of jealousy

Victim named as 67-year-old Jim Burney

An Australian man was shot dead in the central Philippines by a local man while drinking in a bar.

Australian Jim Burney, 67, who lived at a beach resort in Tangalan town on Panay island, was drinking with a woman late last nigth when a man shot him dead with a home-made shotgun, a police report said.

The suspect Pedrito Carlos, 35, was arrested after he crashed the motorcycle on which he fled, the report added.

Police said it was believed the suspect acted out of jealousy after he saw the woman, believed to be his girlfriend, drinking with Burney.

[nohab]

Here is the follow up to yesterdays report. Seems like the poor bloke was an innocent victim.

Aussie shot dead in 'fit of jealousy'

[*]May 27, 2009 - 12:39PM

An Australian man shot dead in the Philippines by his neighbour's former boyfriend in an apparent fit of jealousy was a grey nomad who moved there in search of the good life, his friend says.

Jim Burney, 67, a former security guard and business owner from the Gold Coast, was drinking with his female neighbour in a resort bar in Tangalan town on Panay island on Monday night, when a man shot and killed him, Philippines police said.

Police arrested the alleged gunman, 35-year-old Perlito Carlos, a short time later when he reportedly crashed his motorcycle after fleeing the resort.

A friend and business partner today agreed to speak on behalf of Mr Burney's girlfriend of 15 years, Carol Robinson.

The three were partners in a small strata search company.

"He was a typical 67-year-old looking to retirement, wanting to do a bit of travel and to enjoy life and thought [moving to the Philippines] would be good," said the man, who did not want to be named.

A good mate, already living in Tangalan, convinced Mr Burney it was the ideal place to live like a king, on the cheap.

"Jim always wanted to do a bit of travel and they never had the money to do it," he said.

"[Tangalan] is a mainly Catholic area. It's seen among expats as a relatively safe place without the dirty nature of Manila."

Mr Burney had rented a beachfront house near the resort since sometime in January, he said. Ms Robinson recently spent two weeks there with him.

She was today packing to return on the first flight available, he said.

Mr Burney's family and friends said they were struggling to obtain detailed information about what happened.

His friend said Ms Robinson was told Mr Burney's neighbour was singing at the resort that night.

Mr Burney had dinner at another friend's house before going home, then walking three or four houses up the street to the resort's bar, where he and the woman had a drink.

Media reports said the alleged gunman was also drinking at the bar with friends.

Journal Online, a Philippine tabloid, reported that Carlos left the bar drunk but returned with a gun.

GMA News reported that Carlos shot Mr Burney twice in the head about 10.20pm, killing him instantly.

Mr Burney's friend in Tangalan told Ms Robinson that Carlos was an old boyfriend of the woman.

Mr Burney's nephews said the family was in shock.

"He was a top bloke, a really, really jovial, forthright person," James Burney said.

"We're all very shocked but we want to know the exact details [of what happened]," James's brother, who did not want to be named, said.

Mr Burney has two sons and a daughter.

An online profile said he worked in the security industry for 35 years and now handled the IT and financial side of the business, Strata Data Reports.

Edited May 27, 2009 by nohab

[mattyb666]

And many thanx to nohad. My father was indeed innocent of any wrong doing. He was simply sharing a drink with his neighbour when Carlos commited his ever so brave act of shooting a defenseless human. It would be an insult to all swine to even call him a pig.

RIP Dad.

Love, Matthew.

[Orac]

Matthew,

Please accept my condolences to you and your family on the tragic loss of your father.

Orac

[Boater]

Matthew,

Please accept my condolences to you and your family on the tragic loss of your father.

Orac

second that...

and Matthew, please ignore any senseless comments by other TV,

RIP

Boater

[HTWoodson]

There have been so many threads lately with sad news like this, acts of violence or vehicle collisions. A lot of good people have gone before their time lately.

And on every thread like this there is someone that posts inappropriate, disrespectful comments about the deceased within hours of the thread opening.

TV has over 77,000 members and many more unregistered readers. That is a pretty big group of people. Would you go on television and make similar comments knowing the person's friends and family might be watching?

My deepest condolences to Mr. Burney's family. Bad things happen to really good people. Please forgive the comments of the insensitive poster and know that for most of us, our hearts are with you.

[martyboy]

Tragic business. Heartfelt condolences to the gentleman's family. Just a thought here. Lots of guys including myself have nurtured thoughts of retiring somewhere tropical away from the frozen dumps they have lived and worked all their lives. The Philippines comes up as a friendly tropical place where the cost of living is a fraction of that in the west and dare I say it, lovely women who are not ageist and demanding like western women. But this kind of news is contrary to that view. Is the Philippines a dangerous place? How true is that description above?

I welcome the views of resident expats.

Again, my deepest sympathy to Mr Burney's family.

[Jimjim]

I'll only say Philippines is not as safe as some places, in general. So say my numerous Filipino friends. This story, however, is heartbreaking in its senselessness.

[sabaijai]

Disrespectful posts, and (understandable) reactions to them, have been deleted.

RIP

[gunnyd]

It is unfortunate R.I.P. and condolences to the family. It is sad to hear of this in my second home.

The rate of violent crime is on par or less there compared to the West. There will always be bad people in this world.

[junkofdavid2]

I'll only say Philippines is not as safe as some places, in general. So say my numerous Filipino friends. This story, however, is heartbreaking in its senselessness.

The difference in the Philippines though (I lived there for a while), is that the government and police seem to favor the foreigner over the local... opposite of what Thailand is perceived to be.

[imaneggspurt]

NOT thailand related,.......is it ? i had a subject disappear for that reason, we are only allowed to discuss thailand it appears !.by the way i found it interesting

[huggybear]

Tragic business. Heartfelt condolences to the gentleman's family. Just a thought here. Lots of guys including myself have nurtured thoughts of retiring somewhere tropical away from the frozen dumps they have lived and worked all their lives. The Philippines comes up as a friendly tropical place where the cost of living is a fraction of that in the west and dare I say it, lovely women who are not ageist and demanding like western women. But this kind of news is contrary to that view. Is the Philippines a dangerous place? How true is that description above?

I welcome the views of resident expats.

Again, my deepest sympathy to Mr Burney's family.

I live in Thailand and sometimes travel to the Philippines.

I will venture to say the violence is probably about the same and the local men flat out do not appreciate foreign men with their ladies. Alcohol fueled jealous violence common in both places. In both places the ladies will say they have been finished with the ex for awhile, the ex doesn't have the same feelings. "Working women" a different matter, I am not talking about bargirls.

Both places have a lot of illegal handguns, concealed weapons, common.

Matthew I'm really sorry about your Dad. Seems it was just the wrong place at the wrong time. Can't tell you how crushed I'd be if it were my Dad, so again really sorry....RIP Mr. Burney.