Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to impose martial rule to prosecute his deadly war on drugs, three decades after the nation shed dictatorship with a famous "People Power" revolt.

"If I wanted to, and it (the illegal drugs problem) will deteriorate into something really very virulent, I will declare martial law if I wanted to. No one will be able to stop me," Duterte said in a speech on Saturday night.

The 71-year-old former state prosecutor said the aim would be "to preserve the Filipino people and the youth of this land".

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Drug addiction is not an altogether new phenomenon in Bangladesh, but in recent years this agent of human devastation has spread out its tentacles more menacingly than ever. Besides many typical concerns, Bangladesh is now confronted with the increasing volume of cross border drug supplies.

Geographically Bangladesh is located at the heart of three drug-producing regions: in the east the Golden Triangle, in the north the Golden Wedge, and in the west, across India, the Golden Crescent.

Bangladesh has direct air, sea and road communications with almost all the major drug producing countries in the region. This has placed Bangladesh at a critical geographical crossroads for illicit drugs from Myanmar, India, Pakistan and Nepal. Encircled by India on three sides, Bangladesh became a 'launching-pad' for illicit drugs both from India and drug producing countries beyond its borders.

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'Build resistance from within' is the advice a no-nonsense educationist keeps giving to parents and guardians, living in constant dread of the drug scene in Bangladesh. But those of the conservative bend, a Victorian mindset, as it were, still insist that a 'good thrashing' would be the perfect medicine for brats -- before they become die-hard delinquents -- should advice/counseling/warning/ fail to bring them back to normalcy.

But what is 'normal', in the Bangladesh context ? It obviously isn't the same for all socio-economic classes, although every full-blooded Bengali, high or low, still holds traditional family and community values dear -- where the elderly retain leadership within the extended family and the villages, and have a say in the upbringing of the young ones. That would be considered anathema in today's upcoming, individualistic models of family in urban Bangladesh. More and more of this bracket of society tend to emulate the west -- albeit selectively.

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Most Of The 115 Clinics In City Lacks Trained Doctors

Although the law makes it mandatory for all drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation centres to obtain licenses from the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC), none of the 115 such centres in the capital has any.

Almost all of those centres also do not have any trained doctor and nurse despite a gazette notification by the home ministry on July 2, 2005 making it mandatory for those centres to have full-time doctors, psychiatrists, and trained nurses.

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Speakers say at Ctg discussion

Speakers at a discussion in the port city yesterday urged the authorities of educational institutions to give the students more scopes of participating in different extracurricular activities to refrain them from being addicted to fatal drugs.

Chittagong University Debating Society (CUDS) and Star Campus, a weekly magazine of The Daily Star, jointly organised the discussion titled 'Say no to drugs' at Chittagong Shilpakala Academy.

Resident Editor of the daily Prothom Alo poet Abul Momen was the chief discussant with CUDS Moderator Dr Mahbubul Hoque in the chair.

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Its Extent And Nature Horrifying

The crackdown on Yaba peddlers by Rab has exposed the magnitude of the problem of drug use among the affluent youths in the city. Kudos to the Rab team. The details pouring in are mind-boggling, to say the least. Moral degeneration has reached an abysmal state, without our even knowing what has been going on. The situation has turned critical, as addiction looks like threatening a whole generation of youths.

The law enforcers' action has apparently forced the drug peddlers to change their modus operandi, and they are now recruiting new operatives to keep the business alive. Obviously, the supply lines have to be cut off to ensure that the deadly drugs don't reach any customer. The illegal business has grown big and the law enforcers will have to make some determined efforts to contain it.

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The use of Yaba had been sweeping through the youth populace in the city's posh neighbourhoods until the recent hauls.

It began to spread at an alarming pace since the launch of a massive clampdown on heroin and Phensidyle dealers about a year ago. More and more youths in areas like Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Dhanmondi switched to the deadly pills with heroin and Phensidyle becoming less available.

Yaba, Thai for 'crazy medicines', however has been the drug of choice among a section for quite a long time now. But as most of the pushers were from families having close connection with the past governments they could not be tough on them, leading to its steady spread.

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Cultural Personalities Contribute To The Cause

An anti-drug cultural evening on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking, organised by Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), was held on June 26. This was to promote the anti-drug message to youths, telling them that there are better alternatives to having fun than substance abuse. The programme was held at the National Theatre Stage.

With the slogan Nesha noy gaan, juddho noy praan, the programme featured prominent artistes of the country performing and campaigning for the anti-drug cause. Factual information on drug abuse and its social consequences were presented in between the performances.

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Int'l Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking Today

As a wholesaler of writing slate in old Dhaka, once he had sufficient income from his business, but now he has nothing.

The business of Alamgir Hossain started ruining keeping pace with his growing level of addiction to heroin.

For the last few years his wife and school-going son and daughter have been living as dependant of his elder brother.

Alamgir, now 36 years old, started taking heroin at the age of 18.

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It was a different event for the people of Satkhira town as women took to the streets yesterday to raise voice against drug abuse so that the menace can be eradicated from society once for all.

Over 300 housewives brought out the procession in the town to mark the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The procession was organised by Madhumallardangi Uddipta Mahila Sangha, an anti-drug organisation. The procession started from Madhumallardangi playground and paraded the main streets of the town. They chanted slogans against drug trade and demanded arrest to drug peddlers.

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Youngsters Getting Attracted Because Of Cheap Price

Use of yaba, a drug of the morphine group, has seen an alarming rise in recent times. With the reduction of its price and easy availability, young people are getting drawn to it.

"When it first arrived in the market in 1999, each pill had cost Tk 1500. Now it is available at Tk 300 so we prefer it more," said Sayeed, a regular user of yaba.

He also informed that nowadays yaba was available at almost every part of the city. "Initially it was available at only two or three specific spots in Gulshan and Baridhara. Now one can even get it delivered at home by ordering over the phone," added Sayeed.

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A comprehensive treatment alone can contain the spread of HIV/Aids through injecting drug users (IDU), said the experts at the inaugural function of a Free Drug Addiction Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre in the city yesterday.

They also expressed their grave concern saying that the IDUs are spreading HIV/Aids at an alarming rate in the city by sharing needles and syringes.

The 50-bed centre has been established by Dhaka Ahsania Mission (Dam) with the financial assistance of USAID, FHI and Impact.

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Unabated Drug Trade Is Going On In Manikganj And Jamalpur

UNB from Manikganj reports: Drug trading is going on unabated in different places of Manikganj due to indifferences of the Narcotics Control Department and law enforcing agencies.

Locals said different types of "deadly" drugs are being sold almost openly at around two thousand points of Manikganj.

According to different sources, local agents of international mafia gang smuggled drugs into the country from different drug producing countries like India, Pakistan, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippine. Besides, hemp and alcohol are also being produced at some points of Manikganj.

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DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) -- Police have rescued two spider monkeys who'd been trained to sell drugs by recognizing the colours of different currency.

The monkeys were found in chains when police raided a house, seizing 40 bottles of phensidyl, a narcotic syrup, and arresting three men, police said.

When addicts entered the house, the monkeys met them. If a visitor handed cash to the female, Munni, then Hamid, the male, would get the drugs from a hiding place. Munni handled only 50- or 100-taka bills and was trained to tell the difference by their colour

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BANDARBAN, Bangladesh, March 22 (Reuters) - Bangladesh troops have been ordered to destroy more than 90 acres (40 hectares) of poppy fields discovered in southeastern jungles near the borders of India and Myanmar, the army said on Monday.

"We have discovered some poppy fields with help of police in the deep jungles of southeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts, near the borders with India and Myanmar," said an officer of the army's anti-drug squad.

"The cleaning drive began on Friday and will continue until the whole area is covered," said the officer who declined to be identified.

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