Indonesia insists Duterte accepted Veloso execution

By Ainur Rohmah

TUBAN, Indonesia (AA) – Indonesia's president remained unwavering Tuesday that his Philippines counterpart had accepted that Indonesian authorities may execute a Filipina convicted of drug smuggling.

Manila has insisted that no “green light” was given during their meeting, after an outcry greeted President Rodrigo Duterte's alleged remarks back home where Mary Jane Veloso's case has become a national cause.

Kompas.com reported Joko Widodo as telling reporters in Jakarta that Duterte had declared: "please process according to the existing law in Indonesia”.

“That is as clear as I said yesterday," Widodo underlined.

On Monday, Widodo told reporters of discussions late week during a visit by the Philippines leader to Indonesia, saying Duterte -- who like Indonesia has launched a much-criticized violent campaign against illegal drugs -- did not oppose the execution.

The Philippines’ foreign affairs secretary, Perfecto Yasay, later denied reports that Duterte had accepted the execution, which was postponed last year after Veloso's suspected recruiter surrendered to Philippines police.

He said in a statement that Duterte told Widodo that “he respects their judicial processes and will accept whatever the final decision they will arrive at regarding her case”.

On Tuesday, Widodo said: "it was very clear he [Duterte] respects the legal process here. That's it."

He underlined that he would likewise respect the ongoing legal process in the Philippines, where a court is still to hear Veloso’s testimony in a case that claims she was trafficked with the drugs.

Widodo added that he saw Duterte’s attitude as being consistent with his attitude to illegal drugs.

According to the Philippines national police, nearly 3,000 drug-related killings have been reported since Duterte assumed office June 30 -- with 1,490 of the deaths being under investigation as of Sept. 10.

Veloso, a single mother of two, had been seeking work in Malaysia as a maid when she was arrested while smuggling 2.6 kilograms of heroin at Yogyakarta airport, Java island, in April 2010.

She was due to be shot in April 2015, but the execution was suspended after a woman accused of recruiting Veloso handed herself in to police in Manila.

Indonesia has some of the harshest anti-narcotic laws in the world. Widodo declared a "drug emergency" last year, on the grounds that such use reportedly kills around 40-50 people in the country daily.