CAMBODIAN Prime Minister Hun Sen has rejected Philippine-style killings in his country’s six-month campaign against illegal drugs, the Khmer Times reported Thursday.
Speaking in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said that in the war on drugs in the Philippines, thousands of people had been shot dead.
“But in Cambodia, we would not allow this,” he said.
The prime minister confirmed last year that the government would not amend the law to include the death penalty for murderers and drug traffickers.
The Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign was suspended in January after a scandal broke out over the kidnapping and killing of a South Korean businessman by policemen who extorted P5 million from the victim’s wife.
Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said Thursday he would rather have a few good men than have rogue cops, such as the 387 erring policemen who went to the Palace to be berated on national TV by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Dela Rosa said he wished the 387 policemen would resign, after some of them complained about their appearance before the President.
“How I wish they will all resign, tell them so that I don’t have to spend for them…Go ahead resign so that I will no longer have to look after you…I don’t have to file cases,” said Dela Rosa.
The 387 erring Metro Manila policemen, including middle-grade officer facing minor offenses like absenteeism and tardiness, were berated by Duterte in a nationally televised event at the Palace, where they were given orders to report for duty in Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, where there is an active Muslim insurgency.
Dela Rosa said he is not worried if many would leave the police service amid an ongoing cleansing at the PNP.
“I don’t care if I don’t have men, I care for quality, not for quantity. I’d rather have one good policeman than 100 police scalawags,” he said.
Reports said that some of the 387 erring policemen were contemplating resigning after being embarrassed.
Duterte initially wanted the erring cops to clean up the Pasig River as a form of punishment, then changed his mind and ordered them transferred to Mindanao.
Dela Rosa said the erring policemen could not complain, because the PNP has a standing policy that they can be reassigned to any part of the country.
“We have the prerogative as mandated by law to deploy them anywhere in the Philippines, so what’s the fuss about it,” he added.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, Gen. Eduardo Año said the 387 policemen should accept their impending reassignment to Mindanao as an opportunity for them to serve the country.
“They should take that positively, for us in the Armed Forces that is an opportunity to earn the medal of valor award…what’s wrong with being assigned in Basilan and Sulu? Don’t you want to serve the country and the people? That’s the best way,” said Año.
“Now, if they’re complaining then you can see the quality of these people that you do not need in the organization,” he added.
