In the footsteps of Philippine and president Rodrigo Duterte‘s war against drug dealers and drug users, Indonesian drug czar has declared the country is getting ready for its own war against narcotics.
Over 2,000 alleged suspects have been killed in Philippine since the war against drugs kicked off earlier this year.
Image: National Narcotics Agency (BNN) chairman Budi Waseso (center, in white shirt) attends a hearing at the House of Representatives Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, human rights and security, on Sept.6.
Reports from TIME confirms “Indonesia’s antinarcotics agency is on a shopping spree for weapons and intelligence tools as it prepares to ramp up its crackdown on drug trafficking”.
The report also quotes Indonesia’s Budi Waseso as saying that the life of a drug dealer is “meaningless because [he] carries out mass murder”.
Budi Waseso [head of the Indonesia’s National Narcotics Agency (BNN)] said his proposed acquisition of firearms is intended to place the country’s security agencies at an advantage against an equally armed drug gangs.
According to the Jakarta Post, Comr. Gen. Budi Waseso wants to beef up the country’s security with advanced technology that’ll compete favorably against modern gadgets used by drug gangs. He said his agency needs the latest generation of surveillance tools, X-ray machines, detectors and anything that works better.
According to the report, Budi said his target is to procure firearms, including pistols, short-guns, assault riffles and high-grade weapons that have the capabilities to break through containers or safety boxes used by smugglers.
In addition, bulletproof vests to protect BNN personnel deployed in antidrug operations will also be procured, he added.
“Many threats have challenged our job. Technology has continued to develop and the [drug] mafias also have equipment that manages to avoid our X-ray machines. We should modernize our equipment since our enemies are drug dealers who have different capabilities,” Budi said on Tuesday.
However, a spokesperson for the BNN reportedly said the country won’t violate human rights in its fight against drugs, adding that “punishments have to be in accordance with our law and with national and international standards.”
