Drug Enforcement Agency operatives on a raid in Quezon, east of Manila. More than 8,000 people are thought to have been killed in relation to President Duterte’s war on drugs EPAPresident Duterte’s recently renewed war on illegal drugs is to be nonviolent after the first stage of the campaign provoked international outrage, the head of police in the Philippines has claimed. Ronald dela Rosa told reporters in Manila that he hoped the new operation would be “less bloody” than its predecessor, “if not bloodless”. More than 8,000 people are thought to have been killed in relation to the campaign since Mr Duterte came to power last June, many of them without trial. Mr dela Rosa said the Philippine National Police (PNP) force, which was briefly disbanded in January after reports of systemic corruption within its ranks, was to be reformed and was seeking to recruit “men of burning desire” to join the nationwide operation.

Source: The Times March 06, 2017 09:00 UTC