Philippine president calls European critics ‘crazies’
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has described European lawmakers as “crazies” in a salty-tongued rebuttal of criticism of his deadly drug war, while vowing again that all traffickers will be killed.
Duterte fired his broadside in a late-night speech on Sunday in Myanmar after the European Parliament issued a resolution last week condemning “the high number of extrajudicial killings” in his war on drugs.
“I don’t get these crazies. Why are you trying to impose on us? Why don’t you mind your own business,” said Duterte, who frequently uses swear words and other abusive language against his critics. Since taking office in the middle last year Duterte has overseen a of ruthless campaign to eradicate illegal drugs which he says are threatening to turn the Philippines into a narcostate.
Police have reported killing more than 2,500 people, while rights groups say there have been more than 5,000 other deaths linked to the drug war.
At the speech to a gathering of the Filipino community in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw, Duterte warned that many more people would be killed in his drugs crackdown.
“More people will die. I said I will not stop. I will continue until the last drug lord in the Philippines is killed and the pushers (are) out of the streets,” he said. Reacting to criticism that the operation targeted the poor, Duterte said he must “destroy” smalltime street peddlers as well as the bigtime drug lords. — AFP