President Joko Widodo’s comments echo those of Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte, whose drug war has killed thousands

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, has told law enforcement officers to shoot drug traffickers to deal with what he called a “narcotics emergency” facing the country.

“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 a political event late on Friday.

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His remarks have drawn comparisons to those of Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte, who launched a brutal anti-drug crackdown about a year ago that saw thousands of alleged drug dealers and drug users killed.

The bloody campaign in the Phillipines has drawn condemnation from the international community, including the United Nations.

Indonesia also has tough laws on drugs. Widodo has previously been criticised for ordering the execution of 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 order from Widodo 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 a tonne of crystal methamphetamine into the country, was killed for resisting arrest, police have said.

After the incident, Indonesian national police chief Tito Karnavian was quoted by media as saying he had ordered officers not to hesitate shooting drug dealers who resist arrest.