Army, navy, air force, police and civil defence forces have already been assigned the task of destroying illegal drugs in the same way they destroyed LTTE terrorists, President Maithripala Sirisena said last week.
Addressing a special Drug Abuse Prevention Program held in Matara on Wednesday (30) the president vowed to implement the death penalty on illegal drug traffickers and users.
“Those who sell or use illegal drugs in the Philippines are executed on the electric chair. In India and in America the death penalty is carried out. I will also implement the death penalty soon,” he said.
President Sirisena said illegal drug businesses have toppled governments and destroyed politicians who stood against them. In the Philippines, the sitting president executed not just the peddlers but also illegal drug users. He was making reference to his five-day state visit to the Philippines mid last month where he held bilateral discussions that were focused on economic development, politics, agriculture and people-to-people engagement. Later in a press release the President’s Media Division stated that a special team from the Philippines will arrive to aid Sri Lanka combat the drug menace.
The President’s speech at the state banquet in Malacañang drew criticism when he praised his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte for the way he handled the drug menace.
“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,” President Sirisena had said.