MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte is set to enjoy much-wanted foreign support for his deadly drug war when he hosts Southeast Asian leaders at a Manila summit this week, observers say. Duterte has relentlessly railed against the mostly Western critics of his drug war, angrily demanding they respect him while in turn using abusive terms to describe them. 'Rights abuse'The mood will likely be far calmer in Manila for the two-day annual event starting Friday, with Duterte to enjoy drug war backing from most of his guests, according to observers. Lauro Baja, a former Philippine foreign undersecretary and ambassador to the United Nations, agreed ASEAN leaders would back Duterte's drug war while in Manila, or at least keep any concerns to themselves. But early this month Duterte announced he had ordered his troops to occupy vacant islands in the South China Sea.

Source: Philippine Star April 26, 2017 05:15 UTC