Why Indonesia’s drugs problem is getting worse despite ‘shoot on sight’ orders and draconian laws
President Joko Widodo has given authorities wider powers, drug laws have been tightened and the death penalty for drugs reinstated. Despite this, Indonesia is the largest drugs market in Asia, and many tourists are involved
In the eyes of Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, drug use is a serious problem. Inspired by his Filipino counterpart Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, authorities have been granted shoot-on-sight orders for dealers and traffickers, while lawmakers are introducing increasingly tougher regulations. Yet the world’s fourth most populated country remains awash with drugs.
Sulistiandriatmoko, the chief representative of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency, tells the South China Morning Post official data shows there are nearly six million drug users across the sprawling archipelago, out of a total population of 261 million.
The number of users has grown sharply since a 2014 survey by the agency found 4.1 million users. The report predicted two possible outcomes by 2020, dependent on policy shifts: greater resources for authorities and expansion in their forces would see a drop in users to 3.7 million; an increase to five million users if resources were to drop. The current figure given by Sulistiandriatmoko (who, like many Indonesians, goes by one name) is much higher that the agency’s worst expectations.
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Another survey, conducted by the agency last year, found major cities, particularly Java’s Jakarta and Yogyakarta, to have the worst drug problems. In recent years, authorities have also seen a rise in drug-related cases in tourism hotspots, including the islands of Bali and Gili Trawangan.