Son Banya coronavirus barricades were a ruse

Towards the end of March, residents of Son Banya put up barricades at the entrance in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus. There were also "pickets" at the barricades to inform drug users that Son Banya was closed for the sale of drugs.

Police sources now say that these images, which were given a great deal of prominence, were a strategy to try and get a reduction of police controls in the area. There was never any intention to stop selling drugs. After a few days, "they returned to their old ways".

Rather than reduce the controls, the police have increased them. The army has been brought in to give support to these controls. The helicopter, meanwhile, also detected that there were large numbers of people on the streets of the shanty town - residents, including children out playing, who were in clear breach of the confinement regulations.