The Philippines president has expressed regret after widely reported comments about his United States counterpart caused the cancellation of a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos.
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Duterte said it would be “rude” for Obama to raise the human rights issue and told reporters such a conversation would prompt him to curse at Obama, using a Filipino phrase “putang ina” which can mean “son of a bitch” or “son of a whore”.
For Obama, the visit serves as a capstone to his yearslong effort to bolster relations with Southeast Asian countries long overlooked by the United States. He says the two leaders want peace and security for all peoples.
‘Until the (last) drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue’.
The pair are expected to discuss President Park Geun-hye’s North Korean neighbours latest missile tests.
However, shortly before flying to the capital Vientiane, the newly elected president, known as “The Punisher”, launched a tirade at Obama against drugs in the Philippines that has claimed more than 2,400 lives in just over two months.
‘Our position is stronger and we’ve sent a clear message that as a Pacific nation, we are here to stay and [American interest] is not a passing fad’.
He pointed to the killing of Muslim Moros more than a century ago during a USA pacification campaign in the southern Philippines, blaming the wounds of the past as “the reason why (the south) continues to boil” with separatist insurgencies.
This file photo taken on July 27, 2016 shows Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (R) greeting US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip S. Goldberg (L) as US Secretary of State John Kerry looks on during his visit to the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila.
The setback in U.S. As a matter of fact, America has one too many to answer for. “That conflict was another reminder whatever the cause, whatever our intentions, war inflicts a bad toll, especially on innocent men, women and children”.
Duterte is set to meet President Obama at a regional summit in Laos on September 6, and lashed out at the American president ahead of their meeting.
Obama and the other guests watched a dance performance by 10 women in traditional red and pearl skirts, draped shirts and gold headbands.
“During an address to the Lao people in the country’s capital, Obama pledged $90 million in a joint three-year project with the country’s government to clear tens of millions of unexploded U.S. bombs”.
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However, hours later a White House spokesman said that a decision has been made to cancel the meeting. Annual deaths fell from more than 300 to fewer than 50 in that period.
