`RI should join ASEAN war on illicit drugs'

Yuni Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Indonesia, a haven for drug abusers and traffickers, has called for joint efforts among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to combat illicit drugs.

Surya Chandra Surapaty, chairman of the Indonesian delegation to the ASEAN Inter-Parliament Organization (AIPO) meeting here, said drug abuse threatened mostly the younger generation and the situation would worsen unless concrete measures were taken immediately.

"We need input from the meeting participants and need you to share your experiences in fighting illicit drugs, heroin, cocaine and the syndicates trafficking in them," he said.

The annual meeting was officially opened by House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung, who has been sentenced to three years in jail for his involvement in a Rp 40 billion scam.

Surya admitted that the number of drug abuse cases in Indonesia had notably increased over the last four years.

According to data from the National Narcotics Agency, drug abuse cases had steadily increased from 958 cases in 1998 to 1,883 cases in 1999, 3,478 cases in 2000 and 3,617 cases in 2001. Indonesian authorities seized 90 kilograms of heroin and cocaine in 1998, 266 kg of heroin and millions of pills in 1999. Since 1998, the authorities have arrested more than 70,000 alleged drug abusers and traffickers. Over 12,000 of them were foreigners.

Surya regretted the fact that the Indonesian government had yet to impose harsh penalties against drug syndicates and traffickers and take concrete action to enhance bilateral and multilateral cooperation with foreign countries in combating drug networks.

He said that the Indonesian delegates would propose, among other things, introducing harsher penalties for drug dealers and users.

"If a convicted drug dealer in Singapore, for example, is sentenced to death, then the same sentence should be handed down to other convicted drug dealers in the region," Surya Chandra said.

Indonesia will also propose an increase in bilateral, regional and international cooperation and networking to deal with drug abuse and illicit trafficking.

In his presentation on Thursday, Sanusi Tambunan of the Indonesian delegation also said that Indonesia had significantly shifted from a mere transit place of international illicit drug trafficking to a manufacturing site and exporting country.

"It was indeed shocking when the National Police recently raided a clandestine drug manufacturer and ecstasy pill maker who had the capacity to produce 150,000 ecstasy pills per day, in Cipondoh, Tangerang, on the outskirts of Jakarta, which is classified as the biggest producer in the world," Sanusi said.

Reading out a 10-page paper, Sanusi also said that 20 drug traffickers had been arrested and sentenced to death in Indonesia. Seven of them are Indonesian. Smaller-time manufacturers in the form of home industries had also been identified in Medan, Pekanbaru and Denpasar, he said.

The Thai delegation said that Thailand had declared a total nationwide war against drugs. The war involves all elements of society.

Pornpich Patanakulert, deputy chairwoman of the Thai House of Representatives' Committee for Public Health, said her country had taken several concrete steps to gradually eradicate illicit drugs, the presence of which had reached an alarming level.

"Besides holding bilateral and multilateral cooperation with its border countries and the world society to cut the supply of illicit drugs and other hazardous substances, all components of (Thai) society have been participating in the nationwide war against drug syndicates and traffickers, treatment of drug patients and drug prevention," she said.