[Kabar-indonesia] 5 JP War on Drugs Reports: Community Approach; Teenagers [+Myanmar]

[JoyoNews at aol.com]

Note: also see the previously sent: Indonesia's anti-drugs 
boss calls for execution of traffickers

5 JP Reports (+AFP on Myanmar Trafficking):

- Agency takes community approach 
  to war on drugs

- Rehab centers no comfort zone for addicts

- The adolescent face of drug abuse

- Ex-users know best how to help

- I Gusti Ngurah Gunadi: Helping teenagers 
  past drug hazards

- Myanmar torches drugs haul but struggles 
  to curb trafficking

The Jakarta Post
Monday, June 26, 2006

Agency takes community approach to war on drugs

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The war on drugs in Jakarta is becoming fiercer, with law enforcement
fighting inventive drug dealers who seem to never run out of new ways
to lure in addicts.

In response to the problem, the Jakarta Narcotics Coordinating Agency
(BNP) has decided to try a community-based angle to eradicate drugs,
optimizing community services and working closely with police and
other agencies.

BNP chairman Fauzi Bowo said families and local communities knew best
the social condition in their neighborhoods.

"Communities can focus on their own environment. They must not think
of what happens in other subdistricts," said Fauzi, who is also
Jakarta's deputy governor, on the sidelines of a BNP gathering at
Monas in Central Jakarta on Sunday.

Fauzi cited the Kampung Bali subdistrict in Tanah Abang in Central
Jakarta as an example. Until the 1990s the area was known as a haven
for drug users and dealers, but by working together with nonprofit
groups and the BNP the neighborhood managed to free itself from most
of its drug-related problems.

"Let's start the battle against drugs by battling ourselves first," said 
Fauzi.

"Parents and the communities must be equipped with knowledge of the
dangers of drugs," said Fauzi.

Families, according to Fauzi, were the smallest yet the most important
unit in the community when it came to cultivating an anti-narcotics
culture.

The war against narcotics is likely to become even more crucial in the
future. A 2005 study revealed 25 percent of Jakartans had been exposed
to drug abuse and dealing, a statistic that is likely to increase this
year.

The Jakarta city administration has allocated Rp 24.4 billion for
BNP's 2006 budget, up from Rp 7 billion last year.

Fauzi has long wanted to see communities given "authority in making
decisions on drug-related cases in their neighborhoods".

Normal law enforcement procedure has often impeded the work of
communities to eradicate drug-related problems.

H.M. Nuh, a member of Kebon Kosong subdistrict's anti-drugs post in
Central Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post the team would mainly focus
their attention on drug abuse cases.

"But we handle the cases after we get consent from the parents," Nuh added.

"At first we will give them advice and guidance, before parents wish
their children to go to a rehabilitation program," he said.

Should people suspect a drug trafficker or dealer is operating in
their neighborhood, Nuh said, they should be very careful. "We usually
inform the police and wait until they take action," he said.

-----------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post
Monday, June 26, 2006

Rehab centers no comfort zone for addicts

Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Photo: Burning messages: Activists display anti-drug posters at the
Hotel Indonesia traffic circle Friday in Central Jakarta. JP/Mulkan
Salmona

Some build them places out of concern or personal experience, while
others just see a business opportunity.

Either way, rehabilitation centers provide drug addicts with the
support they need to rebuild their lives.

"Draining the drugs out of the addicts is only one minor step in the
rehabilitation process," said 33-year old Temi, an ex-drug addict
working as a counselor for re-entry house FAN Campus in Karang Tengah,
South Jakarta.

"Most of them are mentally weak. The process of rebuilding their
mentality is more crucial," he said.

There are more than a dozen rehabilitation centers in Greater Jakarta
and West Java, offering various means to a cure.

They range from the easy but painful sakau, or going "cold turkey", to
the convenient but controversial "harm reduction" method.

But what ultimately separates successful centers from the rest is how
they evoke an addict's awareness that they can have their lives back.

A day in most of the centers begins with sharing: feelings, anxieties,
responsibilities.

"Morning, family. I am in a very good mood today after I surprisingly
met my girlfriend yesterday," Dedi, one of the residents at FAN campus
shared with four of his peers.

The rest of the group teased the blushing 34-year old over his morning
confession, while wishing they too were beginning the day in a similar
mood.

For recovering drug addicts, staying upbeat at least makes it easier
to get through another day without the help of depressants, stimulants
or hallucinogens

"More importantly, they have to keep themselves busy," said Iqbal,
another counselor.

At several centers, the rehabilitation process begins with a six to
nine month isolated recovery process at sites outside Jakarta,
followed by a careful re-entry period.

"Ex-addicts must enter their social environment gradually so as not to
shock them after the isolation process," Iqbal added.

During the re-entry period, recovering addicts can proceed with their
normal routines, from going to short courses of their choice to paying
a visit to their workplace.

FAN campus, initiated in 2000 by activist Inti Nusantari Subagyo, uses
the quick detoxification method before its re-entry program.

The recently opened center Kedhaton Parahita in Sentul, Bogor, managed
by Father Lambertus Somar, adopts a similar method. It uses a
therapeutic community approach involving psychiatrists, psychologists
and family members of the patients.

One of the oldest rehabilitation methods makes used of religious
values and rituals to help addicts. Recovering addicts staying at the
Suryalaya Islamic boarding school in West Java are directed to shift
their focus to religious activities while being isolated from the
outside world.

Meanwhile, drug addiction hospital RSKO Fatmawati, founded in 1972, is
one of the very few centers in Indonesia adopting the harm reduction
method, in which methadone is substituted for heroin.

"The drug substitution method allows addicts to carry on with their
lives while undergoing the rehabilitation process," hospital director
Asliati said.

It is also the most affordable type of treatment.

While centers like FAN campus charge an in-patient fee of about Rp 4
million a month, the harm reduction method only costs Rp 15,000 per
day.

Some still disagree with the method, saying it is no different to
legalizing the use of drugs, but others argue a range of methods are
needed to deal with the addiction problem in the country.

"Whatever the method is," said one ex-user at FAN campus. "It all
depends on whether we want to stop our addiction or not."

----------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post
Monday, June 26, 2006

The adolescent face of drug abuse

Nia Pulungan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched this
year's theme for the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking: "Drugs are not child's play".

In real life however, drugs -- of various types -- are the most
sought-after toy among teenagers and adults alike, with, a 2005 study
revealed, 25 percent of Jakartans being exposed to drugs and drug
users.

A former counselor with nonprofit organization For All Nations says
drugs are now just an arm's length away for most people. "Just walk
five or 10 meters from your house and you can find drugs (if you know
how)," said Ricky Soerapoetra.

Drug abuse is no longer the domain of street children, criminals or
adults -- children from stable, middle-class families are also at
risk. Meeting a drug dealer is often as easy as making a new friend
for a teenager.

Dealers are known to lure in business by giving drugs free to first
time users and discounts on second and third purchases. The prices go
up later on, when the customer is sufficiently addicted.

A 15-year-old cocaine user said she got her drugs from a "friend" she
met a night club whose dealer now provided what she needed. "It's like
pizza delivery," she said.

Another girl, also 15, said she had first been exposed to drugs by her
boyfriend, who was two years older than her.

"My boyfriend took me to a small hotel and there he made small cocaine
inhaler out of a bottle," she said.

"You can get anything from him. And he has not got caught, although
many people in the school know that he is a user, because his school
only sees his good grades," she added.

A high school girl said she had used Concerta 10 times, initially out
of curiosity. The prescription drug is abused because of its euphoric
and energizing effects, although excessive consumption can lead to
cardiovascular failure and seizures. Concerta is commonly used to
treat attention disorder hyperactivity disorder.

Thorough and close control from schools and families is needed to
tackle drug abuse, Ricky said.

"Schools must introduce drug-related subjects in class to raise the
students' awareness of the dangers of consuming drugs and must
encourage more communication with parents," he said.

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The Jakarta Post
Monday, June 26, 2006

Ex-users know best how to help

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It takes one to know one, they say.

In the case of drug addicts, nobody understands what they are going
through better than other ex-users.

"I have been in and out rehabilitation centers, some of which had
psychologists and psychiatrists," Karina, a recovering drug addict,
told The Jakarta Post by phone recently.

"In the end, it was the ex-users that helped me open up," she said.

Most rehabilitation centers recognize that only those who have pulled
themselves out of an addiction can provide the necessary mental
support for recovering addicts.

"Psychologists may know all the theories. But we can say we know how
it feels," said Temi, a counselor at FAN, a re-entry house.

Having once lived in the world of drug users, these counselors can
recognize a relapsing addict and talk him or her out of using in the
most efficient way.

"Violence would only push them further away and make them more
defensive," Temi said. "We need to understand when is the right time
to hit them with words and build up their mental strength again."

All of the counselors at FAN are recovering users. Some have survived
terrible situations; they have experienced all the suffering of
addiction.

"I have been using drugs since junior high and it took me 11 months to
physically recover," said Okai, another counselor at the center.

"The experience provides the patience to deal with other addicts," he said.

Having been through it all is sometimes not enough, though.

"Trends are constantly evolving. The drugs used during our day are
different from what's popular now, so we have to constantly update our
methods," Okai explained.

Bezo, for example, is the latest market name for depressants, which
are currently trendy, Okai said.

"That did not exist years ago," he added.

Besides staying current with the types of drugs available, counselors
must also deal with difficult situations like hallucinating addicts.

"Several cases have needed extra care. We try our best to handle them,
but when it gets to be too much, we have to ask psychiatrists for
help," Temi said.

Counselors at rehabilitation centers provide individual and group
sessions that complement each other.

Some addicts are natural introverts and will not open up during group
sessions. "That's when the individual approach is needed," said Gigok,
a staff member at the Bhayangkara hospital rehabilitation center in
Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta.

Parents also have a crucial role to play in helping their offspring
return to normal life.

"There are cases where parents have been so traumatized by their
children's criminal behavior that they ended up slowing down the
recovery process," Gigok said.

---------------------------------------------------------

The Jakarta Post
Monday, June 26, 2006
    
I Gusti Ngurah Gunadi: Helping teenagers past drug hazards

Duncan Graham, Contributor, Jakarta

This above all: To thine ownself be true, And it must follow, as the
night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man

Shakespeare's advice, put in the mouth of Polonius to his son Laertes,
still carries weight centuries after Hamlet was written.

Surabaya psychiatrist Dr I Gusti Ngurah Gunadi accepts its timeless
truth -- but words it a little simpler for modern parents worried
about their offspring becoming druggies:

"If you want to know and change your kids, first change yourself.

"Don't blame your children if you find they're using drugs. Understand
them and the problems they're facing as they go through puberty. This
is very difficult, I know, but it has to be done."

By fiat of the United Nations, Monday (26 June) is the International
Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. So expect many
homilies from on high on the dangers of drugs and the awful fate that
awaits those who indulge.

Certainly, drug abuse is a major worry if figures published by the
National Narcotics Agency (BNN) are accurate. The agency says 3.2
million Indonesians use illegal drugs and 15,000 die every year as a
consequence.

The solution is simple and obvious: Just Say No.

That seems like plain and irrefutable common sense to the older
generations who were never faced by today's temptations.

But for teenagers that's not as easy as it sounds.

"Most people start using drugs not because they're emotionally
troubled or facing distress but because they just want to try," Gunadi
said. "Certainly, that's what they tell me.

"Usually their family situation is good, but they face pressure
through their friends. The years of puberty are full of hazards. The
teenager has an adult's body and a child's mind.

"They want to be distant from their parents to establish their own
identities. At this stage they get closer to their friends than their
families, but they need their parents for a home and financial
backing.

"They are confused and ambivalent. They also want to experiment and be
accepted by their group. If they're pushed to take drugs and refuse,
they risk being rejected by their peers.

"This can be a very big problem for most young people. They need
support because they're a high-risk group."

Gunadi has just won a grant from overseas non-governmental
organization Family Health International (FHI) to establish a
counseling, education and health service called Yayasan Bina Hati
(foundation to build the spirit) in Surabaya.

FHI has been supporting family planning and reproductive health
programs in Indonesia since 1973. The money for Bina Hati to run a
10-month pilot program will come through a project designed to stop
HIV/AIDS infection.

These deadly diseases are linked to drug abuse through the sharing of
dirty needles. BNN claims about half the estimated 575,000 injecting
drug users test positive for HIV and this has become the most common
method of disease transmission. (The other major way to get HIV is
through unprotected sex with an infected partner.)

Gunadi said Bina Hati had also been approved by the BNN, which was
supporting the program. A building has been selected and is now being
furnished, with the opening scheduled for next month.

Eighteen staff will be employed but Gunadi will continue practicing
psychiatry at Dr Sutomo Hospital, Surabaya's main government medical
faculty which has de-tox facilities.

Now 53, he said that the creation of Bina Hati was a bid to give
something back to the community after years of seeing and hearing
about the problems caused by drug abuse.

"If you're in business it's take, take, take to make a profit," he
said. if you want to have high spiritual values and peace you must
give more than you receive.

"Bina Hati's slogan is `Serve All, Love All'. If you feel that God is
in your heart you tend to make others share that feeling."

Gunadi is a Hindu from Bali but says organized religion is not part of
his project. He is also a general practitioner so can give factual
health advice to people who are confronting changes in their bodies or
experimenting with drugs.

He said he recognized that aspects of Indonesian culture were making
disease prevention difficult. Religious leaders often think frank sex
education and harm reduction programs, like promoting the use of
condoms to stop the spread of disease, encourage promiscuity.

"Many schools are not providing quality teaching," he said. "There's a
need for extracurricular classes in issues like reproductive health
and drugs, but teachers and parents must be totally honest.

"For example, most young people know that taking drugs can be really
pleasurable so saying it's all bad won't be believed. They also have
to know that while the emotional high can be great, the downside is
not. Drug-taking can lead to craving, addiction and other serious
problems."

Gunadi said the government's current `Say No' campaign was designed to
make the public think positive things are being done.

However it was focusing on the wrong end of the issue. It should be
putting resources into education and counseling on life to prevent the
development of drug taking. This should be done in the high schools.

"Much of the antidrug campaign is talk rather than action," he said.
"We've got to tackle the cause, not just the problem."

-----------------------------------------

AFP, June 26, 2006

Myanmar torches drugs haul but struggles to curb trafficking

Myanmar's military government has torched hundreds of kilos of narcotics 
worth some 148 million dollars, in its latest effort to convince the world that it 
is cracking down on rampant drug production.

Myanmar is the world's second-largest producer of opium and a major producer 
of amphetamines, which flow easily through the nation's border regions that 
are largely outside government control.

The burned drugs included 690 kilos of opium and 2.1 million tablets of 
amphetamines, Myanmar's police chief Major General Khin Yi told reporters and 
diplomats.

That represents a small fraction of the 312 tonnes of opium and hundreds of 
millions of amphetamine tablets believed produced last year.

Myanmar has been holding the annual drug burn for 20 years, and Khin Yi said 
narcotics valued at 15 billion dollars have been destroyed at the ceremonies.

He highlighted Myanmar's success in dramatically slashing opium production, 
which has been halved since 2002, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime 
(UNODC).

Despite the sharp decline in opium production, Myanmar remains the world's 
largest producer after Afghanistan. And as opium production has fallen, 
amphetamines have skyrocketed.

Khin Yi said the amphetamine problem is part of an international trade, with 
chemicals used to make the drug smuggled into Myanmar.

"These precursor chemicals are not produced in Myanmar, but are illegally 
trafficked into the country from neighboring countries," he said.

"Our neighboring countries are also taking measures to prevent diversions of 
these precursor chemicals into illicit markets," he said.

"However unscrupulous persons are still using various methods to traffic 
these precursor chemicals into the country."

China last week said drug production in the "Golden Triangle" region along 
its borders with Myanmar and Laos was increasing, as was the number of people 
using them.

China blames the flood of illegal drugs into the country for rising addiction 
and HIV infections in its southwestern Yunnan province.

The United States said in its annual narcotics report last year that several 
hundred million amphetamine tablets are produced in Myanmar and distributed by 
drug gangs that operate freely along its borders with China and Thailand.

The US Justice Department has indicted eight leaders of the Yangon-allied 
United Wa State Army on narcotrafficking charges, although the military 
government has taken no action against the group.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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