PALU, Indonesia — Indonesian soldiers have been ordered to fire on people caught looting on the quake and tsunami-struck island of Sulawesi, a colonel said Wednesday, after desperate survivors raided shops for food and water. Police have already arrested dozens of people for looting in the disaster zone around the seaside city of Palu, which has been reduced to rubble. ADVERTISEMENTLocal military colonel Ida Dewa Agung Hadisaputra told AFP soldiers had now been given orders to shoot people spotted stealing from shops. “But on the third day, they started looting things like electronic equipment.”He said every vehicle carrying supplies would now be guarded by five armed soldiers. In many cases, police have stood by as people raided shops for vital goods in short supply following the quake, which has left over 1,400 people dead.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer October 03, 2018 13:30 UTC