Drug dealers: Indonesian president reaffirms shoot at sight order

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia on Tuesday reaffirmed his order for legal enforcers to apply tougher measures against drug dealers, including shoot on sight should they resist arrest.

“I already ordered police chief and National Narcotics Board to be firm in dealing with drug dealers.

“They must be firm on the field during the operation,’’ the president said in Yogyakarta, a city on the Island of Java.

The president said that Indonesia has been “in a state of narcotics emergency” with rampant cases of drug abusers among the people, various kinds of new drugs circulating among the abusers and active drug smuggling in parts of the country.

 

 

The president suggested the police “settle it down on the scene” for foreign drug dealers should they retaliate from being arrested during the operation.

“Be firm, particularly for foreign drug dealers. If they, even a bit, retaliate from being arrested, just shoot them,’’ the president said at a political party meeting in the capital city.

Indonesian police foiled an attempt to smuggle 1 tonne of crystal meth in a secluded port in Banten province, around 130 km west of Jakarta in mid-July.

Police shot dead a man believed to be the kingpin of an International drug dealer ring, who tried to smuggle the crystal meth.

 

 

Two others were arrested during the operation, while one was arrested later on during his run in West Java province.

A few days after that, police foiled another attempt to smuggle ecstasy drugs from Malaysia to a North Sumatra port, killing two smugglers during the operation.

The Indonesian government has declared war against drug abuses and executed dozens of drug dealers.

According to the national narcotics agency, the board has seen rapid growth of drug abusers in recent years, with 5.9 million ones recorded in November 2015, significantly higher than 4.2 million ones recorded in June in the same year.

 

 

The country has spent some 63.1 trillion rupiah (about 4.7 billion dollars) buying drugs and providing rehabilitation for the abusers. (Xinhua/NAN)

ACO/SH