Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena announced Saturday his admiration to President Duterte due to the latter’s “firm stand” in the campaign against illegal drugs.
In his first official visit at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, Sirisena declared his utmost support to Duterte and the Philippines’ anti-illegal drug campaign which he said was implemented “successfully” only by a handful of world leaders.
“In many parts of the world, a lot of world leaders do not do their share in the fight against drugs. There are two reasons behind it: on one hand, fighting against drug traffickers could be a threat to your life. On the other hand, the drug mafia today is so strong that they are able to topple governments if they want,” Sirisena said in his speech before top Philippine officials and Sri Lankan delegates.
He noted that an “unfortunate reality” which challenges the global fight against illegal drug menace is that many politicians from different countries are also involved in drug-related offenses.
“Therefore, only a handful of world leaders have taken a firm stance against drugs. We are very pleased about the progress achieved by the Philippines government under the leadership of President Duterte and on behalf of my country and the people of my country, I’d like to extend my congratulations,” Sirisena stressed.
“I see President Duterte as a world leader in the forefront of the fight against drugs and that is why I respect him immensely,” he added.
Meanwhile, human rights groups expressed alarm at Sri Lanka’s leader for praising Duterte and his bloody war on drugs as an “example to the whole world.”
Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said Duterte’s campaign was “a human rights calamity that no country in the world should even try to emulate.”
“No ‘drug war’ that treated the drug problem purely from a crime perspective has ever succeeded,” he said. “What they have wrought are untold suffering and the further destruction of the rule of law and the diminution of human rights.”
The Philippine government has consistently refuted that and said the crackdown, which started in July 2016, was being administered lawfully. (Martin Sadongdong with a report from Reuters)
