PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday called on the Philippines’ allies to unite against the “criminal” mind of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who must “stop threatening the world.”
“I hope that in the coming days we should stay together because [our allies] are also put in jeopardy,” said Duterte who visited the Australian Navy’s largest vessel, the HMAS Adelaide, which is docked at the Port of Manila.
“We reiterate our full support for our Australian friends, Americans and even Chinese, Malaysian to show to this one guy that he has to stop threatening the world.”
Duterte made the statement even as he expressed hope that the Marawi siege would end this week.
He said the Philippines was suffering “from a severe case of terrorism.”
“We’re coping. We hope that it would be finished in about one week. We have suffered casualties,” Duterte said.
He also said China was the “only monkey wrench” in the “violent plans” of the North Korean leader.
“China appears to be the only monkey wrench in the violent plans of Kim Un — Un Jun — I can’t even pronounce the g****** stupid name,” he told his foreign guests that included Australia’s Ambassador to Manila, Amanda Gorely and Assistant Defense Attache Gideon Scrimgeour.
Referring to the North Korean leader as a small guy “playing with dangerous weapons,” Duterte said he hoped that the situation in the region “would not deteriorate into something violent.”
“There will always be consequences for all of us. Nuclear bombs, you know, can create devastation,” Duterte said.
“And there will be chaos and hunger and an aberration in our systems of life.”
Australia, the country’s top foreign donor for the Marawi crisis, has a long-standing defense cooperation program with Manila that deals with counter-terrorism, maritime security and capability development assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The HMAS Adelaide, a landing helicopter dock ship accompanied by the smaller HMAS Darwin, a guided missile frigate is currently in the country for a five-day goodwill visit starting Oct. 10 as part of regional deployment by the Australian Defense Force to strengthen ties with countries in the region.
