Philippines' Duterte vows to keep 'shoot-to-kill' order

August 6, 2016

About 800 people have been killed since Rodrigo Duterte won a landslide election in May 2016, according to reports by Philippine local press

Manila (AFP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to maintain his "shoot-to-kill" order against drug dealers while in office and says he "does not care about human rights".

About 800 people have been killed since Duterte won a landslide election in May, according to reports by the local press which has been tracking the maverick politician's campaign pledge to kill tens of thousands of criminals.

"This campaign (of) shoot-to-kill will remain until the last day of my term if I'm still alive by then," the 71-year-old said at a news conference in his southern hometown of Davao.

"I don't care about human rights, believe me," he said, according to official transcripts released by the presidential palace Saturday.

He said government officials who use their positions to engage in a trade that wrecks the lives of many Filipinos were first on his list.

Duterte said he was also offering soldiers and police his "official and personal guarantee" of immunity from prosecution for killings undertaken in the performance of their duties.

The president dismissed critics' suggestions some of the 402 suspects whose killings have been acknowledged by the police were "salvaged", the local police term for summary execution.