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AFTER BAMBOO TRIAD COMMENT

Duterte not blaming any country for drug trade, Palace clarifies


President Rodrigo Duterte is not blaming any country over the illegal drug trade in the Philippines, Malacañang clarified on Thursday.

“As per his interview I think yesterday with—he has a TV interview I think yesterday—he did say that he was not blaming any particular country, but that there was organized crime that was behind all this drug traffic. And he referred—he did refer to Bamboo Triad,” Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella told reporters in a briefing.

In a speech on Tuesday, Duterte  linked the drug trade in the Philippines to the Bamboo Triad, a group he said is to blame instead of the Chinese government for the illegal narcotics supply in the country.

"Itong drugs ngayon, it's been operated by the 14K, Bamboo Triad. They have taken over. They are cooking the shabu on the high seas. Tapos itatapon. Nakita mo sa Region 1, mga bins na empty na may Chinese character. It's actually from Taiwan at lahat na," Duterte said.

Abella maintained Duterte had solid bases in saying that the “14K” and “Bamboo” triads have taken over the drug operations in the country.

“I’m assuming that the Bamboo Triad are of Chinese ethnicity. They’re not—they’re Chine—they may be Chinese nationals, but they’re not government-sponsored. I think that’s what has to be cleared,” he later added. 

Taiwan has asked the Philippine government to provide information and evidence on the alleged Taiwanese drug cartel referred to by Duterte as the major supplier of illegal narcotics in the country.

While Duterte's pronouncements were unclear about the exact nature of the Bamboo triad, the South China Morning Post in 2015 reported about the Taiwan-based United Bamboo triad gang, which they linked to Hong Kong's 14K triad. SCMP said that United Bamboo triad, considered as one of the world’s largest organized crime group, was based in Taiwan. —JST, GMA News

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