Airlines to be involved in anti-drug campaign

Airlines to be involved in anti-drug campaign

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications
Joop Ave said here yesterday that his office would require all
commercial aircraft operating in the country to support the
government's anti-drug campaign.

Joop said airplanes would be required to announce shortly
before landing at the country's airports that Indonesia was
combating drugs.

Joop said his office would hold meetings with the immigration
office of the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of
Transportation to discuss the plan.

"This is my office's action to participate in the campaign
against drug abuse," he said.

In addition to Indonesia's six scheduled air carriers, there
are some 40 overseas airlines which fly to 19 international
airports in the archipelago.

Other related tourist industries would also be involved in the
anti-drug campaign, Joop said after signing an agreement with
Putra Astaman of the Bersama Foundation.

Under the agreement, the minister donated Rp 100 million
(US$28,000) to support the foundation's program in fighting
drugs.

Astaman, a retired police major general and chief of the
foundation, also signed agreements with state-owned enterprises
supervised by the Ministry of Tourism, Post and
Telecommunications.

Joop said PT Pos Indonesia, for instance, could create a
special postage mark featuring the anti-drug campaign.

"The company usually handles about 600 million letters a year,
the postage mark would be an effective way to fight drugs," he
said. "There's a lot we can do if we really want to."

In a related development, a member of the National Commission
on Human Rights, Bambang W. Suharto, said the rights body would
introduce the concept of the right to be free from drugs to
international, Asian and ASEAN human rights bodies. (icn)