MANILA, Philippines - Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan has issued a statement clarifying his remarks about the August 23 hostage drama at the Quirino Grandstand that killed 8 Hong Kong tourists and hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza.

Chan has been severely criticized by some of his compatriots as they expressed their displeasure over his initial tweets about the tragic 11-hour standoff in the Philippines.

In his latest statement, Chan expressed his “deepest and most sincere apology” if his earlier tweets have caused misunderstanding or discontent.

He admitted that his "incomplete thoughts and feelings posted on Twitter" might have been misunderstood. He explained that the tweets were posted by his American assistant on his behalf “but after interpretation the posts did not entirely capture what I truly meant to say.”

He said what he wanted to convey was that he doesn’t hate Filipinos in spite of the incident.

“There are several hundred thousand Filipinos working in Hong Kong, and there are quite a few Hong Kong people working in the Philippines as well. If we start hating each other, it will cause great damage to both Hong Kong and the Philippines,” he said.

He also said he is not in the position to say who should be held liable for the tragedy, adding that it is up to the authorities to investigate and decide.

Chan also expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the fatalities.

“I am 100% Chinese and I’m from Hong Kong. I feel grief and pain for the Hong Kong citizens who lost their lives during this unfortunate incident, and I deeply sympathize with the families who have lost their loved ones,” he said.

As for those injured in the “terrible and heartbreaking tragedy,” he wished them speedy recovery.

In his earlier tweets, Chan gave assurances that the people of Hong Kong "do not hate." He also called on the peoples of the two territories to be “united."

“Humans should be united and not kill or hate each other,” he tweeted. “HK is a nation built by a lot of different people. . don't worry! We do not hate!”

Hong Kongers, however,  weren't very pleased with Chan's comments.

The Associated Press reported that netizens from Hong Kong "drew a slew of sharply worded attacks" against the veteran action star.