Duterte slams 'idiotic' EU bid to treat addicts

The firebrand Filipino leader rejected the EU's proposal as "stupid" and "idiotic" in his Friday speech, while at the same time praising China for their no-strings-attached loans.

"We're getting a relief now from our hardships because a lot of (Chinese) money is coming in," he told a group of Chinese and Filipino business people.

"The EU, they communicated to us and they want a health-based solution for the drugs. These sons of bitches," he added.

Since taking office last summer, Duterte has waged a brutal war on drugs that saw some 2,500 people lose their lives. He has claimed the brutality is necessary to end the "pandemic" of drug abuse in the society where many minors and state employees use drugs like methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu.

Detox clinics 'idiotic exercise'

On Friday, he said that the EU's rehabilitation approach would allow addicts to use cocaine, marijuana and heroin in the clinics.

"They want us to build clinics, then instead of arresting, putting [the addicts] in prisons, just like in other countries, you got there and if you want shabu, they will inject you and give you shabu and you go out," he said.

Duterte called it "a government-sponsored idiotic exercise."

"Our people will just go there and consume every chemical until kingdom come. Until they are crazy," he said. "Who will answer for this?"

Manila has kept course on Duterte's anti-drug crackdown, despite criticism from the European Union, the United States, the United Nations and the Catholic Church.Duterte has largely responded with insults. Last week, EU lawmakers condemned the "many extrajudicial killings" in the Philippines and said the state should focus on sources of illegal drugs, not the consumer.

On Friday, Duterte said the EU had no right to complain and pointed the bloodshed between Europeans in the 20th century.

"It's easy to criticize, it's easy to point out mistakes," he said. "You also washed your hands with blood. Why are you suggesting a stupid solution?"

dj/sms (dpa, Reuters)