MANILA, Philippines — Human rights groups condemned the White House after it said that US President Donald Trump enjoyed "warm rapport" with President Rodrigo Duterte who had been criticized both locally and domestically for alleged human rights violations in the government's war on drugs. Phelim Kine, the deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said that this announcement suggested a "stunning apathy" toward the "human rights calamity" that Duterte had been inflicting on the Philippines since he assumed the presidency last year. A senior adviser of AI said that it was crucial that Trump raised the issue of human rights violation during his meeting with Duterte in November. "There’s been some indication in reports that there are plans for President Trump to raise human rights issues in the meeting, and that’s critical," AI's senior crisis adviser was quoted by the newspaper as saying. The "warm rapport" between Trump and Duterte contrasted with the tense relationship of the Philippine leader with former President Barack Obama.

Source: Philippine Star November 01, 2017 03:21 UTC