Indonesian President tells police to shoot foreign drug dealers who resist arrest

[poledriver]

Indonesian President tells police to shoot foreign drug dealers who resist arrest

Indonesia's President Joko Widodo has instructed law enforcement officers to shoot drug traffickers who resist arrest, saying the country faces a "narcotics emergency".

"Be firm, especially to foreign drug dealers who enter the country and resist arrest," Mr Widodo said in a speech at an event held by one of Indonesia's political parties.

"Shoot them because we indeed are in a narcotics emergency position now."
Indonesia already has tough laws against drugs, and Mr Widodo has previously been criticised for ordering executions against convicted drug traffickers given death penalties in the country's courts.

Two convicted Australian drug smugglers, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, were executed by Indonesia in 2015 despite pleas for a stay of execution from the Australian Government.

Mr Widodo's remarks have drawn comparison to that of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who launched a brutal anti-drug crackdown about a year ago that saw many alleged drug dealers killed.

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

The shooting order from Mr Widodo came a week after Indonesian police shot dead a Taiwanese man involved in a drug smuggling operation near the capital Jakarta.

The group was trying to smuggle one tonne of crystal methamphetamine into the country, and police said the man was killed for resisting arrest.

The operation resulted in the largest ever seizure of crystal methamphetamine in Indonesia's history.

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 resist arrest.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-...-shoot-drug-dealers-who-resist-arrest/8734652

 

[Jabberwocky]

That sounds a lot like policies in the US. Shooting drug dealers who resist arrest I mean. Shit. We like to shoot people for selling loose cigarettes...

 

[Boku_]

The ironic thing about Indonesia from what i've read about the country is that corruption is entrenched at all levels of law enforcement with police and boarder offices willing to be paid off to not charge and release busted drug trafficking offenders if there is no media attention on the case or there is no scrutiny from the Indonesia anti-corporation watch dog than typically a large enough cash payment that can be paid discreetly can allow a criminal to avoid charges being laid and if the bust is too high profile than the legal system is very much open for bribery. You'd be surprised how many Indonesian Judges have thrown out or dismissed cases on legal technicality simply because the accused lawyer has managed to negotiation a bribe with the Judge.

Due to this rampant level of corruption in Indonesia drug trafficking and drug smuggling goes on un-checked. The Police in Indonesia really are cunts cos they know with the harshness of the penalties from drug possession to drug trafficking they really can demand high levels of cash payment to look the other way and it really is only the unlucky who don't know how to play the system that cop the long prison sentences or death penalty for drug offences.

The only drug traffickers that get shot in Indonesia are the ones who panic and aren't cool headed enough to attempt to offer a bribe to the arresting police , yeah some drug traffickers get arrested by high ranking police that won't take a bribe or worse yet are busted at the airport but it was common knowledge those two Australian drug smugglers who were executed in 2015 were offered the opportunity to pay a bribe to receive a downgraded and less harsh sentence than capital punishment but the potential bribe to get out of the death penalty was in the hundred of thousands of US dollars and the families of the unlucky Australians were unable to raise and afford the cash required to guarantee a less harsh sentence. The only country in Asia that has the death penalty for drug trafficking and is not corrupt is Singapore. All the other countries in South east Asia have some level of corruption.

Due to police wages being so low in Indonesia as it is a third world county and the perception that western drug traffickers as well as western drug user are highly affluent and wealthy individuals the local Indonesian police have high expectations when it comes to the amount of money that needs to paid for a western to successfully avoid criminal charges being laid. For example a western tourist caught on a beach in Bali with a rolled marijuana joint or one to two Ecstasy pills in their possession the bribe would be around the Indonesian currency equivalent of 1000 to 2000 US dollars. Of course if the western tourist was unable to pay a bribe on the spot at the beach once back at the police headquarters the tourist would be given another opportunity to pay their way out of it. Ironically Indonesian police will turn a blind eye to local criminal gangs dealing drugs in places like Kuta beach nightclubs because the local drug dealing gangs would have paid money to the local police to not petrol the nightclubs drugs are being openly sold by the right connected dealers. As for busted drug traffickers if there is high levels of media attention due to the police releasing a news statement of the arrest which is pretty much a propaganda exercise to give the impression Indonesia law enforcement is doing something about the drug problem than it's more a case of a drug trafficker needing to pay off a judge though his lawyer for a less harsh sentence or early release from jail.

As you would imagine as well as police and judges being corrupt the prison guards in Indonesia are also able to be paid off so it is often heard of prison inmates being able to buy drugs and alcohol off prison guards, as well as the chance to use prostitutes while serving time in Indonesian or even purchase mobile phones and phone sim cards. There has been many high profile cases of drug syndicate organisers being sentenced to prison in Indonesia and still being able to carry on their drug smuggling operations while incarcerated. So for a criminal with access to large amounts of cash the chance to improve your living conditions while serving time is very real.

Don't believe me about the level of corruption in Indonesia read the two books by Australian author Kathryn Bonella called Snowing in Bali and hotel kerobokan

So unless the Indonesia president does something to stamp out corruption in his county the chance of drug trafficking ceasing in Indonesia is unlikely. Many countries in Asia are similar to Indonesia in that the penalty for drug possession and drug smuggling/trafficking appear harsh but due to corruption cash can be paid to get out of trouble. This approach and attitude by Asian law enforcement means the drugs will never stop being trafficked and smuggled out of the drug producing Asian Countries. Some unlucky drug mules may get executed in Asia but us in the west will still get high from Asian meth and Asian heroin.

Xi Jinping the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China may like to appear that he is leading a campaign against corruption in China but seriously has there been a noticeable reduction in the amount of heroin or methamphetamine being seized by Australian customs coming from China in the last past year since president Xi Jinping announced his crack down on corruption. Sure some Crown Casino executives and workers got arrested for promoting Gambling in mainland China which could be viewed as China cracking down on corruption but is there any reduction in the availability of China white heroin or Methamphetamine in Melbourne or Sydney. i Don't think so, they're definitely isn't a smack or ice drought where i live.