US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signs a memorial guest book at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai, India, Saturday, July 18, 2009, after attending a commemorative event for the 26/11 victims.
It is far from a mere coincidence that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's first stop in India during her five-day visit to the country is Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and Tower, one of the targets of the 26/11 terror attacks last year. She wanted to send a powerful message to Pakistan-based terrorists by choosing to stay in the Hotel as a mark of solidarity with the victoms of terror.
Some 183 people were killed and many more wounded when 10 terrorists sneaked into Mumbai by the sea after sailing from Pakistan. The terror strikes had left 183 people dead. Among those killed were 22 foreigners, including five Americans.
Clinton is put up in the Tower wing on the 11th floor. The 10th and 11th floors have been cordoned off for security reasons. The Palace wing, although non-functional at the moment for the guests, has specially been opened for Clinton and a suite renovated and redone especially for her.
She attended a commemorative event for 26/11 victims at the Taj Hotel. After attending the event, Clinton signed a remembrance book. She also briefly interacted with the staff of the Taj and Trident-Oberoi hotels, which were among the sites attacked by terrorists from Pakistan last November. "I was deeply touched to meet the staff of Taj and Oberoi," Clinton said.
Soon after, Clinton held a meeting over breakfast with around 10 of India's top corporate names. The meeting was arranged by Ratan Tata.
The Secretary of State was given a tour of the now renovated hotel by Karimbir Kang, its general manager whose wife and two children were slain by terrorists as they went from room to room shooting and hurling grenades.
"The great men and women who worked in this hotel and elsewhere in the city... (facing) senseless violence and helped save lives ... they deserve our gratitude", she said.
No comments:
Post a Comment