{"id":84952,"date":"2019-01-18T07:17:13","date_gmt":"2019-01-18T14:17:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=84952"},"modified":"2019-01-18T07:17:13","modified_gmt":"2019-01-18T14:17:13","slug":"example-to-the-world-sri-lanka-president-plans-to-copy-dutertes-war-on-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2019\/01\/18\/example-to-the-world-sri-lanka-president-plans-to-copy-dutertes-war-on-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Example to the world’: Sri Lanka president plans to copy Duterte’s war on drugs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hannah Ellis-Petersen<\/a>\u00a0South east Asia correspondent\u00a0Courtesy The Guardian UK<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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President Maithripala Sirisena praises Philippines over policy that has led to thousands of extrajudicial killings<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Protesters<\/picture><\/div>
\u00a0<\/span>Protesters march following the death of teenager Kian Loyd delos Santos, a victim of Rodrigo Duterte\u2019s drug war. Photograph: Erik de Castro\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/header>\n
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Sri Lanka\u2019s president has praised his Philippines counterpart Rodrigo Duterte\u2019s\u00a0brutal war on drugs<\/a>, which has taken thousands of lives, calling it an example to the world\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a speech during a visit to the\u00a0Philippines<\/a>\u00a0this week, Maithripala Sirisena said he intended to replicate Duterte\u2019s ruthless approach to tackling illegal drug use.<\/p>\n

The war against crime and drugs carried out by you is an example to the whole world, and personally to me,\u201d said Sirisena. Drug menace is rampant in my country and I feel that we should follow your footsteps to control this hazard.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his own statement, Duterte said that their aligned vision could mean partnering with\u00a0Sri Lanka<\/a>\u00a0in the future to address international drug trafficking.<\/p>\n