KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia yesterday denied it was holding off on the distribution of needles and condoms to drug addicts because of opposition from Islamic religious groups.

Health Minister Chua Soi Lek said the program was crucial to contain the spread of HIV/AIDS.

"The staff have to be trained and educated properly before this program can be introduced," Mr Chua said, national news agency Bernama reported.

The media reported yesterday the program had been put on hold after some Islamic groups said it would give the impression that the authorities condone drug use and casual sex.

Mr Chua said a pilot project to supply needles and condoms to 1200 intravenous drug users in four cities - Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru, Penang and Kuantan - would start in january.

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The involvement of children in drugs is rising -- even involving trafficking, which carries the death penalty.

According to police statistics, 49 schoolchildren were arrested for drug-related offences from January to May. Of the number, five are suspected of involvement in drug trafficking.

This rise was due to the lucrative nature of the drug trade, said ACP Abdul Halim Abdullah.

"Schoolchildren become pushers to get rich fast," said Halim, who is the Federal CID principal assistant director for intelligence.

Criminals are also taking advantage of the law as minors are protected against being sentenced to death.

Halim said the changing lifestyle of youths has contributed to the rise of schoolchildren being in possession of drugs.

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When a group of former drug addicts proposed a programme to inculcate positive values among youth early this year, many were sceptical.

However, with the help of Kuantan Umno Youth and the Smallbike Club, the former addicts managed to organise the monthly programme.

"It may not be as popular as Akademi Fantasia, but more youth are joining our mini concert every month," said Drugs Intervention Centre (DIC) president Rahman Bakar.

DIC was set up by former addicts to help drug addicts stop their habit voluntarily at their two shelters here.

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Drug smugglers are using various tricks to avoid being detected by enforcement agencies, including using fancy names when referring to different kinds of drugs, a senior Narcotics Control Bureau officer revealed yesterday.

Citing the fact that 219 people have been arrested until May this year including 43 women, Awg Pungut B. Hj Besar, Senior Narcotics Officer 1 of Education and Drug-Prevention branch of the Narcotics Control Bureau, said for instance the popular drug 'Syabu' is also referred to as 'Nasi Lemak' (coconut milk rice), Ajino Moto, 'Batu' (rock), 'Gula Batu' (granulated sugar) and 'Lauk Puteh' (white fish).

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Sekolah Menengah Sufri Bolkiah in Tutong district recently held an anti-drugs forum, exhibition and caning demonstration as part of the Drug Abuse Prevention and Education Programme this year.

Students from Form Five heard talks presented by a panel of various government departments including Counselling and Career Guidance Section, Department of Schools, Ministry Of Education; Health Promotion and Education, Ministry Of Health; Narcotics Control Bureau, Prime Minister's Office; Public Relations Section, Royal Brunei Police Force; Attorney General's Chamber and the Prisons Department.

After a question and answer session, a presentation of mementoes was given to the panel of speakers. The Prisons Department ended the forum with a live caning demonstration.

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A carpenter was sentenced to death by the High Court here for trafficking about 1.6kg of cannabis four years ago.

Ahmad Saidin, 57, was found guilty of committing the offence at his house in Kampung Air Melong, here, about 4.30pm on June 11, 2001.

Judge Datuk Hasan Lah said the defence had failed to prove that the cannabis found on Ahmad was not his.

He also said that the prosecution had proven the case beyond any reasonable doubt.

Ahmad had claimed trial to the charge, which was brought under Section 39B (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Azeezi Nordin prosecuted.

Defence counsel Syed Fakhruzzaman Syed Mansor said he would appeal against the High Court decision.

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Lai Chaw Keong, 35, was convicted of drug trafficking in 1997 and sentenced to death in 2000.

Five years on, he is still languishing on Death Row.

The reason: The High Court, which convicted him, has yet to hand down a written judgment on his case.

Until this is done, Lai cannot appeal against the sentence.

His distraught mother, Gan Ean Yau, 53, lives a daily life of anguish knowing that her son is "wasting away in prison".

"This does not mean I want to see my son executed quickly," she said.

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KUALA LUMPUR -- Police are aware that drug traffickers are using the postal service to deliver drugs.

Federal Narcotics Department director Datuk Mohd Najib Abdul Aziz said the practice is a seasonal tactic.

"They have been sending drugs this way for quite some time and will stop whenever it is discovered. They will then change to other means to deliver the drugs," he said today.

Najib said it is difficult to determine if packages sent by post contain drugs. "X-ray machines only reveal the form of the package and not its content, and Pos Malaysia deals with thousands of consignments everyday."

He said the police randomly check packages sent via mail and would act on information from the public.

"We've always had a close working relationship with Pos Malaysia and the Customs Department in ensuring that their services are not abused."

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PETALING JAYA: The needle exchange and condom distribution programme to check the spread of HIV among drug users is expected to start in January.

Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said his ministry has decided that the harm reduction programme, involving the two methods and drug substitution therapy, will go ahead.

"The earliest we can begin is in January. There are many people to train. And I have been told that in terms of amending the law, it can be done administratively," he said yesterday.

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The Deputy Prime Minister wants government departments to screen all staff regularly for drugs.

Pos Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Razak also urged department heads to keep a look out for staff who show "disturbing" symptoms.

"Department heads must be alert and ask those who show such signs to undergo a urine test," he said.

Najib's call comes in the wake of a recent discovery by the management of a factory in Pahang that some 20 per cent of its staff tested positive for drugs in spot checks.

"This should be a model for other factories," he said when opening Pemadam's 30th annual general meeting at the state secretariat here last night.

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KUALA LUMPUR - The number of Malaysians taking methamphetamines such as syabu has more than doubled.

Pos Malaysia According to National Anti-Drug Agency statistics, 5,893 people were picked up last year for using these drugs compared to 2,763 in 2003.

The number of those caught taking party drugs such as Ecstasy and MDMA also rose from 165 in 2003 to 213 last year.

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A multisectoral approach is needed to fight the disease with the rising numbers of cases, Malaysian AIDS Council president, Marina Mahathir, tells Jeswant Kaur

MALAYSIA would not be on the brink of a HIV/AIDS epidemic if we had paid more attention to the early warning signs. Instead, a reluctance to confront the problem

head-on and a false sense of security have resulted in the recent World Health Organisation warning that the country is at the initial stage of a HIV break out.

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HSBC presented a donation worth B$9,000 to the Anti-Narcotics Bureau at the Prime Minister's Office. The t-shirts that were handed over to the bureau is in support of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking to be held at The Mall this Sunday.

The contribution was presented by Mr Guy Priestley, Chief Executive Officer of HSBC, to Acting Director of Anti-Narcotics Bureau, Awang Haji Abdul Majid bin Mangarshah, at the bank's main office in Bandar Seri Begawan yesterday.

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TODAY is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1987, this day serves as a reminder of the goal agreed upon by UN Member States of creating an international society free of drug abuse. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) selects a theme for the International Day each year and launches a year-long campaign to raise awareness about the global drug problem. The theme for 2005 is: "Value yourself ? make healthy choices". Of late we have been reading in our local papers about the growing number of drug abuse fatalities in youngsters, professionals and non-professionals alike. Unfortunately, many mixed messages are out there. On the one hand, you may see a commercial encouraging you to keep away from drugs of abuse. The next minute, you might be watching a movie where the character thinks drugs are cool.

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An Indonesian lorry driver was yesterday sentenced by the High Court to 15 years' jail and ordered to given 10 strokes of the rotan for having 980.3gm of cannabis five years ago.

Mohamed Nor, 40, admitted having the drug in Jalan PJS4/27B, Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya about 5.40pm on July 13, 2000.

The charge under Section 6 and punishable under Section 39A (2) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 carries a jail term of between five and 20 years, and whipping of not less than 10 strokes.

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The leading agency in Brunei protects locals from deadly substances. The war against drugs is one that has long been fought by nations across the globe in hopes for a drug-free world and of protecting people from such deadly substances.

Although total eradication of illegal drugs seems implausible, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, of which Brunei Darussalam is a member, remains nevertheless resilient in its efforts. The International Day against Drugs Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 will carry the theme of "Value Yourself, Make Healthy Choices".

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Last Saturday afternoon, the 'Anti-Drugs Action Team' of Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Husain with help from Pembimbing Rakan Sebaya (PRS) organised a kite flying competition at the school field.

A total of 52 people - comprising students, teachers and school staff - took part in the competition, which was held in conjunction with the school's annual anti-drugs campaign.

The event was officially launched by Ustaz Hj Kassim bin Hj Tapa, the Deputy Principal III of Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Husain.

According to Cikgu Asmishah bte Hj Alimatersad, the kite flying competition was to raise awareness on the dangers of drug abuse, where each participant was given a quiz consisting of five questions relating to drug abuse issues.

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Eradicating drug abuse among youths in Felda land schemes will be one of the main objectives of the State Government over the next few years.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the State Security Council would discuss measures to deal with the menace at its next meeting.

Chief among them is the need for the police to increase their presence at the land schemes and the need to cut off the drug supply line by going after traffickers.

"We are aware of the worrying number of Felda youths involved in dadah," he said after closing a seminar on professionalism at the Felda Academy in Felda Bukit Goh near here today.

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A total of 150 undergraduates from 43 institutions of higher learning recently took time off from their studies to attend a drug prevention forum.

Organised as a joint collaboration between Help University College, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Association Malaysia (UNAM), the one-day forum served as a platform for youth to brainstorm and find solutions to the drug problem.

UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Dr Richard Leete provided an overview of the HIV/AIDS problem and the drug-related situation in Malaysia and globally.

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KOTA KINABALU - Drug abuse and distribution in Sabah have escalated to a level serious enough to require the co-operation of everyone to combat the menace, Sabah Umno's Anti-Drug and Social Ills Bureau chairman Datuk Bung Moktar Radin said.

He said this includes the co-operation of school principals and teachers to apprehend unwanted elements inside the school premises.

Bung Moktar said school security guards and teachers have the right to apprehend anyone who has no business to be in the school compound and believed trying to sell drugs to students.

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