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Duterte says would “be happy to kill more drug addicts
President Rodrigo Duterte appeared not to be hurt to be compared with Adolf Hitler if he could kill three million drug addicts in the Philippines .
"Hitler massacred three million Jews. Now there is three million, there's a three million drug addicts.. I'd be happy to slaughter them," Duterte said in an press conference early Friday morning in Davao City following his two-day official visit to Vietnam .
"At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have you know, my victims, I would like to be, all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition," Duterte said.
History says the Nazis under Hitler killed six million Jews.
Latest police report showed that over 3,500 drug suspects have been killed in Duterte's all-out war against illegal drugs since he assumed office in June 30.
Duterte said his critics portrayed him "a cousin of Hitler" and wanted to be investigated for genocide.
"You, US, EU (European Union), you can call me anything. But I was never into or I am never into hypocrisy like you," he said.
"Close your doors, it’s wintertime. There are migrants escaping from the Middle East . You allow them to rot and then you’re worried about the death of about 1,000, 2,000, 3,000," he said.
The US , EU and the United Nations were among those which raised concern over the alleged extrajudicial killings of those allegedly involved in illegal drugs.
Duterte told two US senators who criticized him not to interfere.
"I will ask (them) now: Why are you shooting the black people there when you’re on the ground?...There’s a proper way of arresting a black man there. You arrest him. You grapple with him. Pin him to the ground, place him under handcuff and bring him to the station. Do not shoot him, with the video and the cameras all around," Duterte said.
He also cited US, with the help of Britain , in invading Iraq and Libya where their leaders were killed.
"I’d like, to the government of the United States , stop this hypocrisy game and we’re all right. Stop being hypocrites. Do not pretend to be the moral conscience of the world. Do not be the policeman because you do not have the eligibility to do that in my country," he said.
Duterte said he was not able to sleep when he was given a computation by a billionaire on the economic impact of drugs in the country.
He said the three million drug users and addicts could spend around P200 daily or P6,000 a month for illegal drugs.
"If these users and addicts use drugs on a daily basis, that’s about 18 billion (pesos) a month or around 216 billion (pesos) a year," he said, adding that the money could have gone to food and education.
"And that was the cold reality and I was not able to sleep soundly that night. I was so stressed. Why, the figures," he said, citing that the mining industry gives the government about P70 billion only.
"And here is a cost of 16 billion (pesos), destroying lives. It’s an investment to destroy lives. It’s an investment by the drug lords that will break the social fabric of our society." Celerina Monte/DMS
