By Kendall Hutt
AUCKLAND (Asia Pacific Report/Pacific Media Watch): Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs” has sparked further controversy in New Zealand at a public seminar delivered by Filipino human rights defender Wilnor Papa.
Heated debate erupted between several Filipino citizens, Papa and members of the audience at Papa’s “On the frontline” talk at the University of Auckland last Thursday.
Organised by the NZ Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice, Auckland University of Technology’s law school and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, debate culminated around how many people had been killed since Duterte took power on June 30, 2016.
Papa said between 4000 and 9000 Filipinos had been murdered in what members of Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand described as a “harvest” against poor people.
This was challenged by Filipino citizens Allan Jacob, Rex Yap and a Filipino student in the room who were concerned about Duterte being painted “negatively”.
Jacob and Yap told Pacific Media Watch they attended the talk to “present a balanced view” of Duterte.
“There are killings, yes, because there are heightened operations to get rid of the drug menace in the Philippines. What we don’t want to see is the administration being painted as a despot, just killing people.”
9000 people killed
The Filipino student from the University of Auckland accused Papa of quoting from “fake media” — such as leading national news media the Philippine Daily Enquirer and Rappler — although data on the number of deaths is continuously being gathered by both official and human rights sources.
The Human Rights Watch cited “more than 7000” in its comprehensive report in March, License To Kill, which names victims and details evidence.
- The global monitoring agency Human Rights Watch reported more than 7000 killed in its comprehensive report on the killings in the Philippines since Dutertre came to power in its March report License To Kill.
- In Numbers: The Philippines’ ‘War on Drugs’ — Rappler
- Vice-President Leni Robredo’s message on extrajudicial killings
- Philippines ‘war on drugs’: Credible and impartial investigation needed – Amnesty International
- Philippines: ‘If you are poor, you are killed’
- Amnesty International reports on the Philippines this year
- ‘Respect human rights’ warning
Read the full article at Asia Pacific Report
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