Obama cancels meeting with Philippines’ Duterte after insult

As with most times Duterte says something so offensive that it requires a public apology, his office released a written statement to try to clear up the mess.

Mr Duterte also threatened earlier to pull the Philippines out of the United Nations over criticism of his crackdown on illegal drug trade that has led to a wave of extrajudicial killings. His reasoning? Obama criticized his shoot-to-kill policy for drug dealers, which has left more than 2,000 dead since June.

Today, Mr Lee will attend the Asean Summit retreat session in the morning, followed by summits with Asean’s dialogue partners including China, Japan, South Korea and Australia.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret Tuesday that a comment he made involving vulgar language came across as a personal attack against U.S. President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, deputy government spokesman Werachon Sukondhapatipak said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Lao counterpart, Thongloun Sisoulith, held a bilateral meeting.

However, Duterte later said in a statement that both he and Obama mutually agreed to postpone the meeting, according to the Philippines TV station ANC-CBN. The U.S. provides hundreds of millions of dollars in annual assistance to the Philippine military.

Duterte’s latest tirade against the United States came after his departure speech before flying to the Laotian capital of Vientiane from Davao City. He also expressed hope that the eventual meeting would give both nations a chance to address each other on human rights and their respective approaches for tackling drug crime.

He said the President’s advisers should properly advise him on diplomacy and on the intricacies of global relations. Although Duterte is fond of swearing – the man swore at the pope – it’s not every day that you hear a sitting president insult an ally. But by Tuesday, he had done a complete U-turn in the tone of his statement.

“We look forward to ironing out our differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions”, the more calculated and civil statement read.

Duterte responded to that with his “son of a bitch” comment to reporters on Monday before leaving to join fellow leaders of Southeast Asian and East Asian leaders for the summit.

On Monday, Duterte said the United States should not interfere in Philippine affairs as the country is no longer a colony.

“We are not butchers who just kill people for no apparent reason”, the Filipino leader said in a 38-page pamphlet that was presented at the Southeast Asian and East Asian or Asean summit in Laos. “I’ve got to tell you, if that were me, I would say, ‘You know what, folks, I respect you a lot but close the doors, let’s get out of here, ‘” he told a group of labor leaders in OH on Monday. “Do not just throw questions”, Duterte said.

Speaking to a reporter, the president also exclaimed “putang ina” – a Tagalog phrase that roughly translates to “son of a whore”, but is often used in a manner equivalent to “crap” or “shit” in a manner similar to the Spanish phrase hijo de puta.

In Manila, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, the chief government caretaker in Duterte’s absence, claimed the President’s outburst won’t affect Philippines-US relations.

Andanar, who was with Duterte in Laos, noted that Obama had emphasized the need for China to abide by its obligation under worldwide law, and “underscored the United States’ unwavering commitment to the security of its treaty allies”.

China sparked widespread alarm when it converted seven reefs in the Spratly Islands into islands that the United States says could be transformed into military bases to reinforce Beijing’s territorial claims and intimidate rival claimant countries.