TAIPEI: President Rodrigo Duterte has defended his drug war and placed the blame on the “Bamboo Triad” of Taiwan, which he claimed was flooding the Philippines with illegal drugs.
The president said his administration was not after killing people. “Now, there are some countries which are insulting us, (asking us) to open our records to them. Who are you to do that? If you don’t believe our records, then go out and find something else to do. We do not fabricate,” Duterte said.
“We are in trouble, this is the first time I would reveal it. The Philippines is a client state of the Bamboo Triad. They have taken over the drug operations. The Philippines serves as a transshipment (point)of shabu (methamphetamine) to America. It behooves upon America to work closely with the Philippines on this serious matter. We are flooded with drugs and the locals here haven’t taken in (drugs)…but they participate in the selling,” Duterte added.
The Bamboo Union, or Zhu Lien Bang, is said to be the largest and most powerful of the triad gangs in the world, with more than 10,000 members worldwide, according to the US Customs Service.
According to Taiwan’s National Police Agency, the Bamboo Union’s members are involved in prostitution, gambling and extortion, gun-running, drug smuggling and human trafficking worldwide.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Taiwan’s de facto embassy, denied that Taiwan was the Philippines’ source of illegal drugs.
“Taiwan fully supports the Philippines’ combat against transnational drug syndicates. Taiwan and the Philippines have been working together to fight against illegal drugs for years,” Taiwan’s statement said.
