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Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, US President Donald Trump, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and Australia Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull join hands for a family photo during the opening ceremony of the 31st Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila on November 13, 2017. World leaders are in the Philippines' capital for two days of summits. (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
Though presented with several opportunities to do so, President Donald Trump reportedly did not raise any concerns about human rights abuses or the "bloodstained" drug war being carried out by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a face-to-face meeting on Monday.
"The issue of human rights did not arise. It was not brought up," said Harry Roque, a Duterte's spokesperson, after the two leaders met privately for bilateral talks. "It was President Duterte who brought up with President Trump the drug menace in the Philippines, and the US president appeared sympathetic and did not have any official position on the matter but was merely nodding his head."
According to Roque, "[Trump] stressed that he can be counted upon as a friend of the Duterte administration."
Ahead of the talks, Phelim Kine, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, told the New York Times he predicted the world would likely "see an alpha-male bromance between the two... A lot of the issues that underpin the U.S.-Philippine relations will go unaddressed, and one of those will be rule of law."
Kine later said this photograph of Trump twisting his face as he held hands with Duterte over the weekend should "live in infamy."
\u201cMay this image live in infamy: #Trump and #Australia PM @TurnbullMalcolm grasp the bloodstained hands of possible crimes-against-humanity suspect #Philippines Prez #Duterte Time for a @UN-led international probe @hrw https://t.co/PmbwIL6nGi\u201d— Phelim Kine \u201c\u8001 \u5eb7\u201c (@Phelim Kine \u201c\u8001 \u5eb7\u201c) 1510570803
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Though presented with several opportunities to do so, President Donald Trump reportedly did not raise any concerns about human rights abuses or the "bloodstained" drug war being carried out by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a face-to-face meeting on Monday.
"The issue of human rights did not arise. It was not brought up," said Harry Roque, a Duterte's spokesperson, after the two leaders met privately for bilateral talks. "It was President Duterte who brought up with President Trump the drug menace in the Philippines, and the US president appeared sympathetic and did not have any official position on the matter but was merely nodding his head."
According to Roque, "[Trump] stressed that he can be counted upon as a friend of the Duterte administration."
Ahead of the talks, Phelim Kine, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, told the New York Times he predicted the world would likely "see an alpha-male bromance between the two... A lot of the issues that underpin the U.S.-Philippine relations will go unaddressed, and one of those will be rule of law."
Kine later said this photograph of Trump twisting his face as he held hands with Duterte over the weekend should "live in infamy."
\u201cMay this image live in infamy: #Trump and #Australia PM @TurnbullMalcolm grasp the bloodstained hands of possible crimes-against-humanity suspect #Philippines Prez #Duterte Time for a @UN-led international probe @hrw https://t.co/PmbwIL6nGi\u201d— Phelim Kine \u201c\u8001 \u5eb7\u201c (@Phelim Kine \u201c\u8001 \u5eb7\u201c) 1510570803
Though presented with several opportunities to do so, President Donald Trump reportedly did not raise any concerns about human rights abuses or the "bloodstained" drug war being carried out by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during a face-to-face meeting on Monday.
"The issue of human rights did not arise. It was not brought up," said Harry Roque, a Duterte's spokesperson, after the two leaders met privately for bilateral talks. "It was President Duterte who brought up with President Trump the drug menace in the Philippines, and the US president appeared sympathetic and did not have any official position on the matter but was merely nodding his head."
According to Roque, "[Trump] stressed that he can be counted upon as a friend of the Duterte administration."
Ahead of the talks, Phelim Kine, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, told the New York Times he predicted the world would likely "see an alpha-male bromance between the two... A lot of the issues that underpin the U.S.-Philippine relations will go unaddressed, and one of those will be rule of law."
Kine later said this photograph of Trump twisting his face as he held hands with Duterte over the weekend should "live in infamy."
\u201cMay this image live in infamy: #Trump and #Australia PM @TurnbullMalcolm grasp the bloodstained hands of possible crimes-against-humanity suspect #Philippines Prez #Duterte Time for a @UN-led international probe @hrw https://t.co/PmbwIL6nGi\u201d— Phelim Kine \u201c\u8001 \u5eb7\u201c (@Phelim Kine \u201c\u8001 \u5eb7\u201c) 1510570803