Pres. Duterte to US senators: Do not interfere in our affairs

From the Philippine News Agency (Sep 30): Pres. Duterte to US senators: Do not interfere in our affairs

President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday the United States should not interfere in the Philippines’ affairs, particularly in the government’s intensified war on drugs.

President Duterte was reacting to the remarks made by American senators Benjamin Cardin and Patrick Leahy that the Duterte administration has taken the wrong way in dealing with the Philippines' drug menace.

”Do not interfere in our affairs,” Duterte said during a press conference upon his arrival from a two-day official visit to Vietnam at the Davao International Airport at 2 a.m. Friday.

The President said the US has its "own sins", referring to the shooting of African Americans, invading Iraq on the "flimsy" excuse that it has weapons of mass destruction, and undermining Libya, “which is now a destroyed nation”.

”I would like to appeal in answering the two senators. I’d like to (say to) the government of the United States: Stop this hypocrisy game and we are all right. Stop being hypocrites. Do not pretend to be the moral conscience of the world. Do not be the policeman because you do not have the eligibility to do that in my country,” he said.

Recently, President Duterte invited the US, the United Nation rapporteur and even the European Union to come to the Philippines to investigate the alleged extrajudicial killings of drug suspects before making any judgment.

Duterte, however, said he should also be allowed to ask questions to the members of the international investigating teams.

”US, EU, you can call me anything. But I was never into or I am never into hypocrisy like you,” the President said.

”Close your doors, it’s winter time, there are migrants escaping from the Middle East, you allow them to rot and then you are worried about the death of about 1,000, 2,000, 3,000?” he added.

In emphasizing the need to wipe out illegal drugs, President Duterte said he would be happy to kill the three million drug addicts in the country.

”(Adolf) Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now there are 3 million drug addicts, I’d be happy to slaughter them. At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have what you know, my victims. I would like to... finish the problem and save the next generation from perdition,” the President said.

The government’s war on drugs has so far resulted in the death of 1,200 drug dependents, the arrest of more than 15,000 individuals, and the surrender of 720,000 to authorities.

President Duterte has said 11,000 policemen and 16,000 barangay officials are involved in the illegal drug trade.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=927632