Over 3,600 killed in Philippines drug war

A coalition of Canadian groups has joined the growing chorus of condemnation against President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines whose brutal drug war has bodies piling up everywhere in the Southeast Asian nation.

Police estimate that more than 3,600 suspected drug dealers and users have been killed since Duterte took office on June 30. Many of those killed in the initial months of the crackdown were poor drug suspects, and police said “high-value targets,” including mayors and drug lords, would be their next target in a new phase of the crackdown that was launched late last month.

The unprecedented crackdown and killings have helped ease crime, but the U.S. and other Western governments, along with human rights watchdogs, have been alarmed and called for an end to the killings. One human rights advocate has called the killings under Duterte a “human rights calamity.”

The open letter calling for an end to the killings was signed by the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, Canadian Drug Policy Coalition, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, South Riverdale Community Health Centre, Toronto Drug Users Union, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, and the Canadian Harm Reduction Network.

The group is demanding; An immediate end to the extrajudicial killings, harassment and violence against people who use drugs by the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its linked paramilitary forces;

prosecution of those responsible for the extrajudicial murders of people suspected of selling or using illicit drugs;

and that the Canadian government end its training of and cooperation with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines implicated in the recent extrajudicial killing of people who use drugs.

It is urging the Canadian public to show support for those actions by sending emails, letters, and tweets to the Philippines embassies and Canadian government representatives indicated at the bottom of this letter.

The group’s open letter states; “We offer the deepest condemnation of the atrocities being committed against people accused of using or selling illicit drugs under President Duterte’s regime.

We urge the Canadian government to press the Government of the Philippines to stop these extrajudicial murders, and institute a drug policy that respects the human rights and dignity of people who use illicit drugs.

These murders are occurring within the context of the ongoing Philippines civil war, which has featured brutal counterinsurgency operations that have violated the human rights of the Philippines citizenry. We are steadfastly in support of further peace talks to end this protracted civil war. The people of the Philippines suffer from widespread economic inequality, and this issue must be addressed through economic and social reforms that would accompany a peaceful end to this conflict. Furthermore, we do not support foreign (U.S. or otherwise) military intervention or regime change operations, as these would only exacerbate neocolonial oppression and reduce the potential for a long lasting and just end to this civil war.

There are over 600,000 people of Filipino descent living in Canada, making them one of Canada’s largest immigrant communities. Canada and the Philippines have important economic, social and cultural links.

We urge the Canadian public to foster closer ties and support grassroots organizations that are resisting drug war violence and fighting for social and economic justice within the Philippines.

Duterte has lashed out at President Barack Obama and other critics, saying he was dealing with a pandemic that has afflicted politics, corrupted even generals and threatened to turn the country into what he describes as a “narco state” similar to some Latin American countries.

Duterte, who assumed office last June, promised during his election campaign that he would kill 100,000 drug addicts and dealers within the first six months of his term.