US envoy speaks out on killing

The US ambassador to the Philippines called yesterday for “full accountability” following the alleged murder by local police of a 17-yearold boy as part of President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

The killing of Kian Delos Santos last week triggered rare protests against Duterte’s controversial but popular campaign to eradicate drugs, with critics saying it highlighted rampant rights abuses by police enforcing the crackdown.

“My condolences go out to the family and friends of Kian. Hope that the investigations lead to full accountability,” US ambassador to Manila Sung Kim said on his Twitter account.

Duterte easily won presidential elections last year after promising to wipe out drugs in the country by waging an unprecedented crackdown in which tens of thousands of people would die.

The United States, a longtime ally of the Philippines, had under then-president Barack Obama led international criticism of Duterte’s drug war.

Duterte reacted furiously and used the criticism as one reason for weakening his nation’s alliance with the United States.

Duterte has said relations with the United States are better under Donald Trump, who has praised him for doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem”. Kim’s predecessor had repeatedly criticised Duterte in public. Kim, who has been the ambassador to the Philippines since late last year, had sought to repair bilateral relations and refrained from criticising the drug war.