President orders shooting of drug traffickers

President Widodo

In a bid to curb the narcotics emergency bedeviling Indonesia, the country's Law enforcement officers on Monday, have been instructed by the President to gun down drug traffickers especially those from foreign countries.

“Be firm, especially to foreign drug dealers who enter the country and resist arrest.

“Shoot them because we indeed are in a narcotics emergency position now,’’ Widodo said in a speech delivered at an event held by one of Indonesia’s political groups.

President Joko Widodo's remarks has put the indonesian  in the spotlight with comparison being drawn to a similar action by Philippine’s President, Rodrigo Duterte, who launched a brutal anti-drug crackdown about a year ago that saw many alleged drug dealers killed.

The international community, including the United Nations condemned the bloody campaign in the Philippines .

Indonesia also has tough laws against drugs.

Widodo has previously been criticised for ordering executions against convicted drug traffickers who were given a death penalty by the court.

Rights activists and some governments have called on Indonesia to abolish the death penalty.

Friday’s shooting order from the president came a week after Indonesian police shot dead a Taiwanese man in a town near the capital, Jakarta.

“The man, who was part of a group trying to smuggle one tonne of crystal methamphetamine into the country, was killed for resisting arrest,’’ police said.

After the incident, Indonesian National Police Chief, Tito Karnavian, was quoted by media saying he had ordered officers not to hesitate shooting drug dealers who resisted arrest.