Have you heard what’s going down in the Philippines right now? Very controversial President Rodrigo Duterte, who was elected in May on a mandate of waging a war on drugs, has been accused of allowing and encouraging a swathe of extrajudicial killings, with many estimating that over 2,400 people have been killed since the election.
And it’s not like Duterte hid the fact that’s what he was keen to do. In the leadup to the election, he promised to kill tens of thousands of drug dealers, and as many as 9 out of 10 Filipinos say they trust him.
While he was mayor of Davao City, he was credited with turning the highly urbanised centre into one of the safest cities in the Philippines – but at great cost. He was accused of aiding and abetting a vigilante group named the Davao Death Squads, who routinely murdered drug users and dealers.
So you can see why this might not sit so well with the international community. Not that Duterte seems to give a shit. Upon learning that US President Barack Obama intended to confront him over the killings during a planned meeting in Laos, he had some choice words for the Prez. “You must be respectful,” he said. “Do not just throw away questions and statements. Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum.”
He said that he was “master of a sovereign state” which had “long since ceased to be a colony”, referring to the fact that the US previously administrated the Philippines as a colony.
Obama told reporters after Duterte’s comments that his staff would evaluate whether any meeting would actually be productive. “I always want to make sure if I’m having a meeting that it’s actually productive and we’re getting something done,” he said.
We will always assert the need to have due process and to engage in that fight against drugs in a way that’s consistent with basic international norms. And so, undoubtedly, if and when we have a meeting this is something that is going to be brought up.”
The White House has since confirmed that Obama cancelled his meeting with Duterte.
Source: ABC News.
Photo: Getty Images.
