KANI, Myanmar – The ferry reportedly carried more than 250 passengers and goods with the search and rescue teams finding 154 people and four bodies.

An overloaded ferry capsized leaving an estimated 100 passengers missing near Michaungdwin village in Kani Township, Sagaing Region on the Chindwin River at around 5 am on October 15, sources say.

The ferry, Aung Soe Moe Kyaw, reportedly carried more than 250 passengers and goods. Search and rescue teams found 154 people and four bodies.

Most of the passengers were government employees from the health-care department, teachers, firefighters and students from Monywa University and Monywa Institute of Economics.

Passenger Aung Kyaw Oo said: “The ferry left Homalin on the morning of October 14. It carried a lot of people and goods as it is a holiday period. I said they were carrying too many passengers but they ignored me. They took more people in Phaungbyin.

I complained to the disciplinary committee in Phaungbyin. They replied that they could not do anything. I said the passengers will die. I posted photos on my Facebook ‘Aung Lay’ account saying I was praying to stay alive.”

He said the ferry carried more than 250 passengers and 18 motorcycles.

Dr Myint Naing, the regional chief minister, visited the search and rescue operations.

Than Nyunt Win, transport minister for Sagaing, said: “The rescue team will use a crane to lift the ferry off the riverbed. Then we will give a number for the missing passengers.”

Villager Win Kyi said: “I heard it at around 5 am. It didn’t take long to sink. When the ferry capsized, I shouted out to the villagers to help the passengers.”

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that there were indeed extrajudicial killings in the country but denied that they were sanctioned by the government.

Despite rising global criticisms against extrajudicial killings and rights abuses, President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday maintained that the relentless war on drugs will continue even if he lands in jail.

In a speech before the Filipino community in Brunei, Duterte told his critics, the International Criminal Court in particular, not to threaten him with an investigation.

“They keep on threatening me on sending me to the International Criminal Court. I already said this: I am willing to rot in jail for the Filipino. Can’t you understand that? So don’t keep threatening or intimidating… calling my attention. It’s really corny,” Duterte said.

“I find this ridiculous. How can you send to prison a President declaring war against drugs,” he added.

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensoud on Friday said her office would start monitoring the Philippines amid concerns over summary execution in Duterte’s bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, adding that the government “seems to condone such killings.”

The Hague-based international court tries people accused of crimes against humanity.

Duterte admitted that there were indeed extrajudicial killings in the country but denied that they were sanctioned by the government.

“You know, let’s not fool each other. The others were really killed. That’s what you call “salvage” or extrajudicial killing. I can’t say there was none. There really were. But if you say they’re state-sponsored killing, that it’s my order to kill them, then that’s nonsense,” he said.

The President reiterated his previous remarks that there was nothing wrong with threatening to kill criminals, as he belittled the intellect and knowledge of the law of human rights advocates, to the crowd’s cheer.

“What is wrong with the statement, ‘Do not destroy my country because I will kill you. Do not destroy the youth of the land and deprive us of a brighter tomorrow for the future generation.’ What is wrong there? Human rights? That’s why I’m swearing because they’re so dumb,” Duterte said.

“I’m not angry at them, but what I’m trying to say is I’m totally exasperated that they don’t know the law that it is not a crime even for a civilian Filipino walking on the streets to say, ‘I hate the criminals. I hope they die. I will kill them if I catch them.’ Perfectly alright. That statement is in defence of my country and people,” he added.

The United Nations, the United States, and the European Union have all raised alarm over the spate of killings in the country and were at the receiving end of Duterte’s expletive-laced tirades.

As of Oct 14, the Inquirer’s “Kill List” notes 1,325 drug-related deaths since June 30 or after Duterte took office.

MANILA – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has said that his country expects to boost traditional friendship with China and further bilateral trade and economic co-operation.

Duterte will begin a four-day state visit to China on Tuesday at the invitation of his Chinese President Xi Jinping according to Xinhua as reported by China Daily.

The visit will help him better understand China, the Philippine President told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on Thursday.

He spoke highly of the Chinese government and people, saying that China boasts hard-working people and “good, sound policies, internal and external.”

“I would say that China deserves the kind of respect that China now enjoys,” he added.

Lauding China’s commitment and generosity to help others, Duterte said China has never forgotten those underdeveloped nations, as illustrated by its devotion to helping African and Southeast Asian countries to promote development.

Speaking of the two countries’ economic and trade co-operation, he said that since his country is abundant in tourism, mineral and agricultural resources and China boasts a huge lucrative market, the two neighbours enjoy high complementarity and considerable potential for further co-operation.

The Philippine leader said his country needs to retain its friendly relationship with China and learn from the latter’s success in economy and trade, especially in times of global financial crisis.

Regarding the South China Sea issue, Duterte said he prefers negotiation to confrontation.

“There is no sense in going to war. There is no sense fighting over a body of water,” Duterte said. “It is better to talk than war. We want to talk about friendship, we want to talk about co-operation, and, most of all, we want to talk about business. War would lead us to nowhere.”

The Philippine President also made clear his opposition against some specific outsiders’ attempts to meddle in the South China Sea issue.

“We are not interested in allowing other country to talk. I just want to talk to China,” he said.

Duterte said he is willing to pursue joint development of the waters together with China.

The Philippine leader also extended his gratitude to China, which, in stark contrast to some Western countries, has extended support for Philippine efforts against illegal drugs, as proved by the funding of a rehabilitation centre which is about to open.

“Some other countries know we are short of money, (but) instead of helping us, all they had to do was just to criticise. China never criticises. They help us quietly. And I said that’s why it’s part of the sincerity of the people,” Duterte noted.

The Philippine president also expressed his desire to let Manila jump onto the bandwagon of the Beijing-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, as his nation is short of funding for infrastructure such as railways and seaports.

He added that rapid development is hard to accomplish for any country without railways, saying he hopes China could offer soft loans.

The Philippines also hopes to realise common prosperity.

“If we can have the things you have given to other countries by the way of assistance, we’d also like to be a part of it and to be a part of the greater plans of China about the whole of Asia, particularly Southeast Asia,” Duterte said.

On his upcoming China tour, he said: “All that I would need to do is just to talk and get a firm handshake from the officials and say that we are Filipinos and we are ready to co-operate with you, to help us in building our economy and building our country.”

There are some 2 million ethnic Chinese living and working in the Philippines, he said. “So, we might be asking for your help, asking the Chinese people to help Chinese people here. They are Filipinos but they are also Chinese,” said the Philippine President.

“My grandfather is Chinese … It’s only China (that) can help us,” Duterte said.

MANILA – Police leaders from other Southeast Asian countries are praising the Philippines for its relentless campaign against illegal drugs and criminality despite the rising number of drug war casualties, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director Gen. Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said on Monday.

Dela Rosa said even the Indonesian police wants to model its anti-drug campaign with that of the Philippines, particularly the PNP’s “Oplan Tokhang,” where policemen knock on the doors of drug personalities and ask them to change their ways.

“Like in Indonesia, the (Indonesian police commissioner) is being pressured by the people to copy what the Philippines is doing right now in our war on drugs particularly Oplan Tokhang.

He told me that all other countries say they are congratulating us for what we are doing,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa flew to Thailand last October 12 to attend the anniversary of the Royal Thai Police. He returned to the Philippines last Sunday.

There, Dela Rosa discussed with Police General Chakthip Chaijinda, Commissioner General of the Royal Thai Police, the experience of Thailand in its harsh policy against drug offenders during the time of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

He said that during the time of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the campaign against drugs was good. The rate of crime went down.

Like Dela Rosa, he said the Thai national police chief shares his view that crimes are related to drugs, and that solving the drug problem could significantly reduce criminality.

“We are unison by claiming that most of the crimes happening are drug-related.”

Their campaign against drugs was great back then. When their administration changed, the policy against drugs also changed.

So in Thaksin’s time, there were good results and they are very happy to inform us that they had positive outcomes from their campaign, he said.

Early 2003, Shinawatra waged a hardline war on drugs after promising to solve the drug menace in three months.

For the first three months, almost 3,000 people were killed.

The bloody drug war in Thailand also led to prison congestion while reports of human rights abuses increased.