On Thursday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen mentioned President Rodrigo Duterte’s efforts against drugs during graduation ceremony on Diamond Island in Phnom Pehn.
He mentioned his recent meeting with our president on the subject of illegal drugs as he called out authorities to enhance their efforts in fighting the “booming” drug-trafficking problem in Cambodia. However, he assured that he will not use “draconian tactics” in fighting their drug problem.
According to Phnom Pehn Post, PM Hun Sen, “I sat with the Philippines president and talked about the drug problem in his country. The Indonesian president [Joko Widodo] also has an issue similar to ours. So these pressing problems need to be solved.”
However, though the Cambodian PM acknowledged the problem, he ensured that he will refrain from using killings as a solution. He mentioned this not due to the recent killings in the Philippines but in reference to what happened in Thailand under former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the early 2000s.
He added, “We will not use the measures of some countries that allowed the savage killing [of drug offenders], but we will not pardon the drug criminals either.”
A minor solution, he said, “We are preparing a special campaign to strengthen and prevent the drugs from entering school because it is prevalent among youth.We will also inspect the bar, guest houses, hotel, and truck drivers.”
PM Hun Sen also assured that he would not amend their Constitution to impose the death penalty for drug crimes.
President Duterte is currently under severe criticism due to our country’s fight against drugs, which has resulted in more than 3,000 alleged extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders.
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