Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena lauded the anti-illegal drug program of President Rodrigo Duterte, calling it an “example to the world.”
Sirisena toasted the Philippine president during a state banquet in Malacañang on Wednesday evening.
He said he would look into implementing Duterte’s anti-drug program in his own crackdown on drugs back home.
“Excellency, the war against crime and drugs carried out by you is an example to the whole world, and personally to me. Drug menace is rampant in my country and I feel that we should follow your footsteps to control this hazard,” Sirisena added.
Duterte’s promise of eradicating the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country virtually slung him to the presidency.
This led to a bloody “Oplan Tokhang,” a program that earned the ire of human rights advocates.
The drug war resulted in thousands of alleged extrajudicial killings, which accusation was denied by Malacañang and the President himself.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) originally headed the anti-drug war.
It was pulled out from the program in October last year over the drug-related deaths of teenagers Kian Loyd delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman.
Late last year, the three policemen who killed delos Santos were convicted of murder.
The PNP was reinstated in the anti-drug drive last January as a support for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
Sirisena and Duterte, in a joint statement, said both countries “recognize that the proliferation of illegal drugs is a threat to our nations and peoples and to the very fabric of [our] growing societies.”
Duterte said he saw Sri Lanka as a partner in addressing drug trafficking.