Indonesian police have shot and killed 11 suspected small-time criminals and wounded dozens more in a crackdown before it hosts the Asian Games next month, authorities said yesterday.
About 52 suspects have been shot after resisting arrest in the capital Jakarta, since the start this month, with 11 dying of their wounds, police said.
“They were endangering the public because they resisted arrest,” Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said.
More than 2,000 suspected criminals have been arrested in the past few weeks, Yuwono added.
Hundreds of extra officers are on patrol in Jakarta before it hosts the Aug. 18 to Sept. 2 event along with Palembang city on Sumatra island.
Rights campaigners have criticized the crackdown and called for an independent probe.
“The Asian Games should not be a pretext to use excessive force,” said Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch.
Security is a major concern at the Games that come a few months after fatal attacks in Indonesia’s second-biggest city, Surabaya, reignited concerns about Muslim militants.
Indonesia’s anti-terrorism squad has arrested about 200 terror suspects since the May attacks, according to the national police chief.
Three terror suspects were shot and killed by police during raids in Indonesia’s cultural capital, Yogyakarta, at the weekend.
About 100,000 security staff members are to be deployed in Jakarta, Palembang and West Java Province, which is hosting some events, during the Games.
More than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries are set to compete at the second-biggest multisport event behind the Olympics.
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