‘Chilling drugs & crime war’:

Asia

Philippine police vowed on Monday to revamp and intensify a fight against crime and drugs, a week after President Rodrigo Duterte promised no letup in a bloody crackdown that has alarmed the international community.

“Surgical and chilling will be the trademark of the reinvigorated anti-illegal drugs and anti-criminality campaign,” police chief Oscar Albayalde told a news conference.

Thousands of suspected drug dealers and users have been killed in the past two years in what police say were shootouts.

Police have rejected accusations by activists that suspects were being systematically executed, based on weak intelligence and with the assumed backing of Duterte.

Prosecutors of the International Criminal Court (ICC) have launched a preliminary examination to assess whether crimes against humanity may have been committed. Duterte in March cancelled the Philippines’ ICC membership in protest.

Albayalde said Duterte’s war on drugs would be “recalibrated”, and there would be renewed focus and intensity, with “built-in safeguards” to ensure operations were lawful and protected human rights.

A police oversight committee would be formed, he said. (RTRS)

Albayalde