Foreign ministry mum on Duterte threats
Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte speaking during the inauguration of a solar powered irrigation system in the town of M’lang, North Cotabato province, southern Philippines, Friday. / EPA-Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has kept mum about Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s threats against Korean criminals living in the Southeast Asian country.
The ministry said Tuesday it is still examining the background of his comments aimed at Korean citizens allegedly involved in drug crimes.
Duterte, who has repeatedly encouraged citizens and police to kill alleged drug dealers and users, said last week that Korean suspects will not receive special treatment for their wrongdoings just because they are foreigners.
But his warning frightens most of the 90,000 Koreans living there, given there is no chance for a fair trial in his bloodthirsty war on drugs conducted through extrajudicial killings.
In addition to the Korean residents, more than 1.3 million Koreans visit the country every year.
Concerns have been growing that the ministry’s inaction may lead to the death of more Koreans like Jee Ick-joo, a Korean businessman allegedly murdered by local police officers in the headquarters of the Philippine National Police last October.
It has been revealed that seven suspects, including former and active police officers, raided his home in Angeles City on the pretense of a drug investigation, abducting him to the national police headquarters where they strangled him to death. They later cremated the body and extorted a ransom from Jee’s wife pretending he was still alive.
There was no evidence that Jee was involved in any crimes.
Following his death, Duterte expressed his condolences to Jee’s family. But in his latest statement, he said Korean organized crime may be behind the murder, claiming many Koreans have engaged in illegal narcotic and prostitution operations ― especially in Cebu City, a popular destination for Korean tourists.
According to local media, Cebu police have already started to track down Korean criminal suspects.
Observers say this might be Duterte’s attempt to placate police officers, who have played a key role in carrying out his violent anti-drug campaign.
Ministry officials said they will release a statement in response to Duterte’s threats against Korean criminals, but gave no details on when.
Duterte’s aggressive crackdown on drug suspects he initiated in the summer of 2016 has so far resulted in more than 7,000 deaths across the country.
Human rights groups have criticized the ruthless campaign, with Amnesty International calling the executions a “war on the poor” that “may amount to crimes against humanity.” Duterte has vowed to continue the crackdown until his term ends in 2022.