On August 6, Duterte, who is often called “The Punisher”, described Obama in vulgar terms and said that he won’t allow the American leader to jeopardise his anti-drug campaign or lecture him on human rights.
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More than 2,400 alleged drug criminals have been killed in the Philippines since Duterte launched the violent campaign over two months ago.
“You must be respectful”.
On Tuesday, Duterte is scheduled to hold meetings in Laos with the leaders of Singapore, Japan and Vietnam. “Do not just throw questions”. “Everybody has a awful record of extrajudicial killings”, he added.
Duterte managed to do both just before flying to Laos for a regional summit, warning Obama not to challenge him over extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
The setback in relations between the United States and the Philippines comes at a crucial time in the region, with China seeking to cement control over the contested South China Sea. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.
The verdict was widely seen as a sweeping victory for the Philippines, which filed the suit under the previous administration of Benigno Aquino.
But China has vowed to ignore the tribunal’s decision. A key part of Obama’s signature policy of engagement with Asia has been stronger military ties to Manila, including a defense pact the two allies signed in 2014 allowing US forces to be based temporarily in designated Philippine military camps.
Duterte said he would demand that Obama allow him to first explain the context of his crackdown before engaging the USA president in a discussion of the deaths. But Duterte has cast doubt on that strategy.
Nevertheless, the South China Sea issue is expected to once again be discussed at the three days of meetings hosted by Asean, which will be attended by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
Other leaders to come for an East Asia summit on Thursday include from Australia, India and New Zealand.
President Barack Obama is meeting with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachit on the first visit to the Southeast Asian country by a sitting American president.
Instead, Obama now plans to meet South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday, said Ned Price, spokesman for the White House National Security Council – a meeting where the response to North Korea’s latest missile tests is expected to be on the agenda. “Until the (last) drug manufacturer is killed we will continue”, he said.
He also expects the USA will provide help to Laos in dealing with unexploded munitions that remain in the Laotian countryside from the war.
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Obama will then travel to the ancient capital of Luang Prabang on Wednesday, visiting a historic temple and meeting with students at a university growing up in a tightly controlled communist nation.
