Barack Obama told to 'go to hell' by Philippines President Duterte
By Gadiola Emanuel - 5:10:00 AM
Rodrigo Duterte once again lashes out at the US president over America's criticism of his deadly anti-drugs campaign.
Video:Duterte lashes out at Obama and the EU
Philippines
President Rodrigo Duterte has told US President Barack Obama to "go to
hell" over America's condemnation for his crackdown on suspected drug
dealers.
During his latest tirade at the US, Mr Duterte also
lashed out at the European Union, which has criticised his brutal
clampdown too. The brash-speaking leader said the block "better choose purgatory, hell is filled up". He
has been sensitive to the response over his clampdown, which has left
more than an estimated 3,000 suspected drug dealers dead in three
months. In three fiercely worked speeches in the country's financial hub in Manila, Mr Duterte outlined his disappointments with the US.
Video:August: Philippines police kill hundreds in drugs war
He described Washington as an unreliable ally, saying Filipino forces
have not benefited from joint combat exercises with American troops. Mr
Duterte also warned he may decide to "break up with America" in his
most serious threat so far to push relations back with Washington. He
claimed the US did not want to sell weapons to the Philippines, but he
does not care because Russia and China are willing suppliers. The White House downplayed Mr Duterte's comments, saying they were "at odds" with the two countries' decades-long alliance. Officials also said they have not received any formal communications from Mr Duterte about changing the relationship.
Video:September: Duterte calls Obama "son of a whore"
Mr Duterte also apologised to the Jewish community for making a
"terribly wrong" comparison between his anti-drug campaign and Hitler. He had previously mentioned the Holocaust and that he would be "happy to slaughter" an estimated three million Filipino drug addicts. His remarks drew shock and outrage across the world "I would like to apologise and it comes from the heart," he told members of the Jewish Association of the Philippines. He
added: "I mentioned the word Jewish and that was what was terribly
wrong. But I'm not one of the racist members of this republic." Last month, President Obama cancelled a planned first meeting with Duterte on the sidelines of an Asian summit in Laos. It was after the Filipino leader blurted "son of a bitch" in a warning to the US leader not to lecture him on how he handles his country's drug problem. Mr Duterte later expressed regrets over his remarks.
0 comments