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Duterte respects Indonesia legal system in Mary Jane case: Jokowi
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Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte, center left, waves with his Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo during their visit at Tanah Abang Market on the sidelines of their meeting in Jakarta on Sept. 9. Duterte is currently on a two-day visit to the country. (AP/Tatan Syuflana)
P
resident Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Tuesday that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had expressed his respect for the Indonesian legal system regarding the government’s decision to mete out capital punishment to convicted Filipina drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso.
"I see consistency from Duterte in the battle against drug trafficking. Zero tolerance [for drug dealers], so he said that he respects the Indonesian legal process. It is obvious," Jokowi told reporters in Jakarta after the inauguration of the New Priok Container Terminal One. Jokowi made the statement in reference to last week’s meeting between him and Duterte in Jakarta.
(Read also: Indonesia, Philippines in spat over Mary Jane)
Jokowi said earlier that President Duterte had given the green light for the execution of Filipina death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso.
Duterte immediately denied Jokowi's statement, adding that the Philippines respected the Indonesian judicial process and would accept whatever the Indonesian authorities' final decision was regarding Veloso's case.
"President Duterte has not given a so-called ‘green light’ to the execution of Mary Jane Veloso," Philippine Foreign Affairs secretary Perfecto R. Yasay Jr said in a clarification statement on Monday.
Veloso was arrested at Adisucipto Airport in Yogyakarta in April 2010 and found guilty of attempting to smuggle 2.6 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia. She was spared execution in April last year after a woman in her home country came forward claiming she had duped Veloso into smuggling the drugs into Indonesia. (dan)
