`RI should join ASEAN war on illicit drugs'

`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.