The Punisher wanted to know if NZ had atomic weapons

THE man dubbed The Punisher sat down with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and had a surprising thing on his mind.

Rodrigo Duterte and Jacinda Ardern at their meeting in Manila. Picture: Newshub.

IT was probably the last thing the Prime Minister of nuclear-free New Zealand expected to hear at a gathering of world leaders.

At a meeting on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Manila, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte asked Jacinda Ardern if her county had atomic weapons.

“You don’t have atomic bombs?” he asked, according to Newshub.

When the Prime Minister replied “no”, Mr Duterte paused before saying: “No bombs like what our friend Kim Jong-un is playing with.”

Ms Ardern told him NZ considered itself “ a very peaceful nation” and advocated for those sorts of principles internationally.

Talk then switched to the police. Mr Duterte, who is nicknamed The Punisher for ordering the executions of drug suspects, then asked if Kiwi cops carried guns.

Ms Ardern said police across the Tasman weren’t “routinely armed”.

They were also talking about long-haul plane travel when Mr Duterte quickly changed focus to Iran and said: “Sunni and Shiites — that’s what creating the problems.”

Earlier, Mr Duterte said he was angered and insulted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s comments about the Philippine government’s war on drugs, which has earned widespread condemnation for leaving thousands of suspects dead. Mr Trudeau said he raised concerns about human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings in Duterte’s anti-drug campaign when he met with the president on Tuesday at the summit.

Mr Trudeau was the first leader of the 20 attending this week’s ASEAN summit and related meetings who has publicly said he brought up the touchy issue with the volatile Filipino leader.

“I also mentioned human rights, the rule of law and specifically extrajudicial killings as being an issue that Canada is concerned with,” Mr Trudeau said at a news conference. “I impressed on him the need for respect for the rule of law, and as always offered Canada’s support and help as a friend to move forward on what is a real challenge.”

He said Mr Duterte was receptive to his comments and their exchange was cordial and positive.

But he later told reporters that he had refused to provide an explanation for the killings.

“I said I will not explain. It is a personal and official insult,” Mr Duterte said. “It angers me when you are a foreigner, you do not know what exactly is happening in this country. You don’t even investigate.”

— with Associated Press.