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)