Indonesian President Joko Widodo has helped burn bags of meth, marijuana and hypnotic chemical pills in Jakarta, only months after the national anti-narcotics unit called to enact a Philippines-style drug war in the country.
Accompanied by former military general and current top security advisor Wiranto, Widodo handled packages of hallucinogenic erimin pills, examined piles of ecstasy tablets and tossed a bag of crystal methamphetamine into an incinerator under the media spotlight at an event hosted by the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) at Monas Square.
"When I see stuff like this, we must again declare a major war against drugs," said Widodo at the event in which 445 kilograms of methamphetamine, 190,840 ecstasy pills, 422 kg of dried marijuana, and 323,000 pills of erimin five seized in raids were destroyed, according to an official statement by the BNN.
The event comes amid calls by the BNN to step up the war against illegal drugs and drug trafficking, with the BNN chief calling on the Indonesian administration to emulate the strategy of Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who has sanctioned extrajudicial killings of drug dealers in an attempt to clean up the black market trade.
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"If such a policy were implemented in Indonesia, we believe that the number of drug traffickers and users in our beloved country would drop drastically," BNN head Budi Waseso told media in September, referring to the drug war in the Philippines where thousands of people have been found murdered in the streets since July.
Indonesia has already sentenced 25 people to death over drugs crimes this year and last year witnessed eight executions that prompted international outrage.
Following the killings of two Australian citizens in April 2015, Australia threatened to cut off all diplomatic ties and even temporarily withdrew its ambassador to Indonesia.
But Widodo continues to stand strong on the country's anti-drugs policy and after meeting with Duterte in September has shown signs of backing the BNN with an even tougher stance.
"Fifteen thousand young people die every year because of drugs. How many dealers... die each year? This is a question for the head of BNN. Please give the bottom line," Widodo said at the event.
