Shoot them dead: Philippines President warns against violating lockdown

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte

Manila [Philippines], April 2 (ANI): With the country recording over 2,000 cases of coronavirus, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte asked the police and military to shoot dead those who “create trouble” during a month-long lockdown of Luzon. Lockdown has been imposed in the Philippines’ largest and most populous island — Luzon — to halt the spread of the virus.

“My orders to the police and military including to the village chiefs is that if a commotion breaks out and they put up a fight that puts your life in danger, shoot them dead,” Duterte was quoted as saying by The New York Times. The country has recorded over 90 deaths due to the deadly coronavirus, which originated in China’s Wuhan last year. Since then, the virus has infected more than nine lakh people worldwide.

Duterte termed the abuse of medical workers as a serious crime in the televised address late on Wednesday. “Do not intimidate the government. Do not challenge the government. You will lose,” he said. According to Al Jazeera, the comments by the President came after residents of a slum in Manila’s Quezon City staged a protest complaining of not having received any food packs and other relief supplies since the lockdown began.

The outlet citing a police report stated that village security officers and police urged the residents to go back to their homes, but they refused. Police arrested 20 people, who had defied the lockdown. (ANI)