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Sunday February 23, 2:00 PM
Thailand faces up to its
drugs problem
BANGKOK, Feb (AFP) - It has been a week since Busaba Wetsaten
last took yaa baa, which means crazy drug in Thai.
For six years
she was one of more than two million users of the methamphetamine in Thailand,
where drugs authorities say it is taken in pill form more frequently than in any
other country in the world.
Now the strained 22-year-old wears a
pink hospital uniform, sleeps in a bleak dormitory and allows nurses at
Thanyarak Hospital's drug detoxification programme to order her
days.
"I had a private problem and I had no one to consult, so I
turned to drugs to make me forget. But I could only forget for a while," she
says softly.
Busaba is a student, like many of the Thais who use
the highly addictive and potent yaa baa, which is derived from
amphetamines.
Of Thailand's three million drug users, up to 70
percent of them use methamphetamines, says Office of Narcotics Control Board
(ONCB) deputy secretary general Chartchai Suthiklom.
The use of
methamphetamines has doubled in Thailand since 1996, he adds.
There
were some 33 million amphetamine users across the world in the late 1990s and
two-thirds of them were in Asia abusing methamphetamines, according to the
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Statistics such
as these likely prompted the Thai government, which already imposes the death
penalty for some drug trafficking offences, to declare a ruthless three-month
war on drugs from February 1.
Since then, 588 suspects have been
killed in mafia-style shootings by drug gang members wanting to stop traffickers
from talking to authorities, according to the interior
ministry.
Police meanwhile say 22 suspects have been shot dead by
police in self-defence in the first 20 days of the war.
Over the
same period, more than 21,000 people were arrested, 8.5 million methamphetamine
tablets were seized and 5.5 million dollars worth of property and cash were
confiscated from alleged traffickers, they say.
The huge number of
deaths has prompted an outpouring of concern from human rights groups, but the
government is doggedly pressing on.
Busaba says she knew it was
time to stop when people started shunning her because of her mood swings and
sallow skin, tell-tale signs of yaa baa use.
Others symptoms of
long-term use are hallucinations, appetite suppression, aggression, paranoia and
insomnia.
The yaa baa explosion occurred in Thailand about five
years ago, Yngve Danling, law enforcement officer with the UNODC in
Bangkok.
"In Thailand there has been a long history of abuse of
methamphetamines among workers, truck drivers, fishermen, sex workers -- people
who took drugs to be able to work longer."
But, "more and more they
are being used for entertainment purposes," he says.
UNODC regional
director Sandro Calvani says part of the reason is that Thailand is at the
centre of the bridge between Asian youth and Western lifestyles.
"They (youth) are expected to behave in a Western style -- that
means a certain speed in (encounters) between men and women, in dancing, sexual
activity...
"They want to have a chemical substance that allows
them to dance faster and longer, and if they are shy, they need something to
help them communicate more aggressively and in a Western
style."
Benchamart Kasempimon, 25, first took the drug 10 years ago
and later became a dealer in her community.
"I saw my friends using
it and going out at night so I wanted to try it," she says, adding that the drug
is easily accessible in the industrial area where she
lives.
Benchamart went to Thanyarak Hospital five months ago at the
request of her dying grandmother -- her second attempt to break her addiction.
Last time she stuck it out for only seven days.
About 70 percent of
patients admitted to the hospital's four-month detoxification and rehabilitation
programme do not last the distance, supervising nurse Sirirat Chucheep
says.
Thai officials estimate one billion methamphetamine pills
will be trafficked into the country this year, mostly from factories dotting the
Myanmar side of the military-ruled country's border with
Thailand.
Each tablet costs about five baht (10 cents) to make and
another 10 baht to get across the border, says the UNODC's
Calvani.
The government says the price of a methamphetamine pill
has skyrocketed since the start of the crackdown from 60 to 200 baht in Bangkok,
where the minimum daily wage is 169 baht.
For Busaba, it is the
soaring price of the drug that will undermine the success of the anti-drugs
campaign by luring more people into the trade.
"Selling drugs is a
good way to earn a lot of money. Even with the crackdown, (traffickers) could
run away for a while, wait for things to calm down, and then start selling
again," she says, before going upstairs for another appointment with a
nurse.
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Myanmar leader cancels Malaysia trip over bank fears
YANGON, Feb. 23 (Reuters) Myanmar military government leader Than
Shwe called off a visit to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to attend a summit of
non-aligned nations, in a move that diplomats said showed rising jitteriness
over runs on bank deposits.
Deposit runs started early this
month at all 20 privately owned banks amid mounting concern after the collapse
over the past few months of 16 deposit-taking firms. The government has blamed
the runs on ''destructive elements'' spreading rumours.
A Myanmar
foreign ministry official told Reuters Foreign Minister Win Aung, who is already
attending the three-yearly summit of leaders of the 114 member Non-Aligned
Movement, would represent Than Shwe at the summit.
Diplomats said
Than Shwe's cancellation was officially made in the Malaysian capital on
Saturday citing ''health conditions,'' but they believed concern over the
country's financial crisis could be the real cause.
''It can't be
because of his health,'' one Asian diplomat told Reuters. ''He even went on an
inspection tour in Ayeyawady division on Saturday. The state-owned television
covered his tour He looked all right.''
Another diplomat added:
''The authorities seem to be concerned about the consequences of the unstable
condition in private banking industry.''
Khin Nyunt, the
government's Secretary One, was quoted in state-run newspapers on Saturday as
telling the public not to panic about deposits at any private bank, because the
government had already provided some support.
Anticipating
persistent panic, the government also called off a five-day fishery and
livestock fair originally starting Monday, diplomats said.
Myanmar's banking system had a combined deposit of 485.4 billion
kyat, of which 323.4 billion kyats belonged to 20 private banks as of June 2002,
official data show.
Banking sources said Myanmar's central bank
transferred billions of kyats into major private banks a few days ago.
The official exchange rate is six kyat to the U.S. dollar. On the
black market it is about 1,000 kyat to the dollar.
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Sunday February 23, 12:08 PM
Rising prices, demand to
boost Thai PTT '02 profit
By Nopporn Wong-Anan
BANGKOK, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Thailand's biggest energy firm, PTT Plc
(PTT), will see its 2002 net profit rise, thanks to rising global oil and gas
prices and the higher demand for oil products, analysts say.
The
results, due out this week, are expected to show stronger quarter-on-quarter and
year-on-year sales.
Analysts say PTT, which has a monopoly on gas
transmission and has petrochemicals and gas exploration and production
subsidiaries, is a good proxy for Thailand's economic upturn. Some 80 percent of
PTT's earnings come from natural gas.
"Strong economic growth last
year as well as rising global oil prices have boosted PTT revenues and net
profit," Seamico Securities analyst Terapatr Mathanukraw told Reuters.
The Thai government estimates 2002 economic growth at around five
percent. The economy grew just 1.9 percent in 2001.
Natural gas
consumption for last year rose 8.9 percent to 374,200 barrels per day (bpd),
while the overall demand for petroleum products, excluding petrochemicals, rose
6.5 percent to 992,700 bpd, PTT data showed.
Average global liquid
gas prices in 2002 jumped by 40 percent from a year earlier to $316 a tonne,
offsetting a six percent quarter-on-quarter slip in natural gas sales in the
last quarter of 2002 due to seasonal factors.
Capital Nomura
Securities said in a recent note profit sharing from PTT's associated refineries
and petrochemical firms and foreign exchange gains would contribute 1.29 billion
baht to the estimated 6.6 billion baht net profit in the fourth quarter.
PTT President Viset Choopiban told Reuters in December he had
raised 2002 revenue forecasts by as much as eight percent to 380-390 billion
baht ($8.77 billion-$9 billion) thanks to an increase in gas and oil prices.
According to Multex Global Estimates, the consensus market
estimate for PTT's 2002 net profit is 22.44 billion baht compared with a 21.6
billion baht net profit made in 2001.
MIXED ON 2003 PROSPECTS
Despite a strong growth in 2002 net profit, analysts are mixed on
the prospects of the company in 2003.
Nomura kept a "buy"
recommendation on the stock, with an estimated net asset value of 49.4 baht,
while Seamico switched its recommendation to "hold" from "buy" since its current
price is approaching its target of 45 baht.
PTT shares closed on
Friday at 43.25 baht, down 0.75 baht.
PTT's main earnings driver
remains its 60 percent owned upstream oil and gas subsidiary PTT Exploration and
Production (PTTEP), which analysts say is approaching the end of a four-year
period of rapid growth.
PTTEP President Chitrapongse Kwangsukstith
told Reuters in January revenues rose by 6.9 percent in 2002 to 31 billion baht
but would stay flat in 2003 if global oil prices failed to reach last year's
highs.
Multex Global Estimates shows analysts forecast a net
profit of 11.12 billion baht for 2002, and 11.25 billion baht for 2003.
Since 1998, PTTEP has developed several new gas fields in
neighbouring Myanmar and off the Thai coast, but the completion of the Pailin II
project in the Gulf of Thailand last year was expected to be the last major
addition until 2005.
Nomura energy analyst Patcharin
Kasem-Arnuntana said in a recent note the realisation of sales from the Arthit
field in 2006 would give a 32 percent year-on-year boost to PTTEP's daily volume
to 141,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.
Both Nomura and
Seamico have a "buy" recommendation on PTTEP shares. Nomura set a 2003 target
price for PTTEP at 150 baht, while Seamico says PTTEP has a fair value of 155
baht.
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Asian Tribune
Date : 2003-02-23
Myanmar: International
community should do more, says Russian envoy
By
Carsten Stormer
Yangon, Feb. 17 - 23: THE international
community should provide more assistance to Myanmar, the Russian ambassador, Mr
Oleg Kabanov, said last week.
Myanmar should be the beneficiary of
as many international projects as possible, said Mr Kabanov. "It would be better
for the country, better for the region and better for international stability,"
he said in an interview with Myanmar Times ahead of the 55th anniversary of the
establishment of diplomatic relations between Moscow and Yangon on February
18.
"The better the economic situation, the better the social
situation. "A policy of pressure and interference in the internal affairs (of a
country) is counterproductive and unjust." Mr Kabanov said he appreciated the
present govern-mentç?´ achievements in establishing peace and security throughout
the country, in economic and social development and in reducing the production
and trafficking of narcotics.
Mr Kabanov said the bilateral
relationship had always been friendly, with no disagreements. He said the former
Soviet Union was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations
with the Union of Burma after it gained independence from Britain on January 4,
1948. This was in line with a principle of Moscowç?´ foreign policy "to establish
diplomatic relations with all newly independent states," Mr Kabanov
said.
The legacies of the assistance that technicians from the
former Soviet Union provided Myanmar in the 1950s and 1960s included the
building of the Yangon Technical University, Inya Lake Hotel, and a hospital at
Taunggyi in Shan State. Education is also an area where Moscow has long provided
assistance to Myanmar.
Dozens of Myanmar doctors, engineers and oil
industry personnel obtained higher education in the former Soviet Union. About
600 Myanmar are receiving higher education in the Russian
Federation.
- The Myanmar Times -
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Nhan Dan News - Sun Feb
23
Senior military delegation concludes Myanmar visit
A Vietnamese senior military delegation headed by
Defence Minister Senior Lieutenant General Pham Van Tra concluded its five-day
official friendship visit to Myanmar on February 21.
They were
guests of Lieutenant General Min Thein, minister in charge of the Office of the
Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) of
Myanmar.
During the visit, Senior Lieutenant General Tra paid a
courtesy visit to Senior General Than Shwe, Chairman of the SPDC, Prime
Minister, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar armed forces and Defence
Minister.
Senior General Than Shwe recalled the solidarity and
friendship between the Myanmar and Vietnamese people and spoke highly of the
Vietnamese people's heroic struggle against foreign aggression in the past and
socio-economic achievements at present.
For his part, Senior
Lieutenant General Tra expressed his belief that the friendship and mutual
understanding between the two armies would continue to develop, thus
contributing to boosting the two countries' relations for peace, stability and
prosperity in the region.
While there, the Vietnamese delegation
visited the National Defence and Command Institutes, the Information Technology
and Telecom Park and Drug Control Museum.
Myanmar was the last
destination of the Vietnamese military delegation's tour after Laos and
Thailand. (VNA)
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The Nation
TRAFFICKING OF
WOMEN: Govt seeks Japanese crackdown
Pravit Rojanaphruk,
Rungrawee Chalermsripinyorat
Published on Feb 23, 2003
Ambassador to Tokyo launches campaign to highlight the
plight of Thais forced into prostitution there
A campaign to
inform the Japanese public about the plight of Thai women who are either lured
voluntarily or forced to enter into prostitution in Japan is under way, a senior
Thai diplomat has said, though the Japanese government needs to understand that
the problem is much more than an issue of illegal immigrants.
"Many
Thai women [in Japan] are illegal immigrants, but the Japanese authorities are
not willing to link their situation to the issue of human-smuggling rings,
although they are two sides of the same coin," said Thai Ambassador to Tokyo
Kasit Piromya.
Speaking on Thursday at a seminar at Chulalongkorn
University on illegal immigrants and human trafficking, Kasit said the Thai
government was trying to convince Japanese authorities to penalise Japanese
citizens found guilty of involvement in human-smuggling. The trade has become
much more sophisticated, attracting a wide range of women from Thailand,
including hilltribe women, into the sex trade in recent
years.
Kasit estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 Thai women
were working in Japan illegally. He added that 50 Thai women in Japan illegally
had died from Aids.
Kasit said most illegal immigrants had no
access to medical treatment and many prostitutes were barred by their employers
from leaving their places of work.
"As the Thai ambassador, I am
ashamed of the issue. There are numerous cases of children of mixed parentage
who have neither Thai or Japanese nationality," Kosit said.
The
Japanese government is still in a state of denial about the reality of illegal
immigrants while the general public is largely unaware that many of these Thai
women are working in conditions approaching slavery, he said.
"They [human traffickers] used to take women from Patpong," said
Kosit, referring to one of Bangkok's notorious red-light districts. "Now they go
direct to villages to find girls, then pose as husband and wife when applying
for a visa."
Kosit said two-way intelligence gathering was needed,
though it was also common knowledge that some immigration officers at Don Muang
International Airport were assisting the smuggling rings.
Supang
Chantavanich, director of the Institute of Asian Studies at Chulalongkorn
University, said that closer cooperation was needed among state agencies to
effectively combat the traffic in humans and drugs.
A Burmese
worker of Karen ethnicity, Zee Mee, told seminar participants of the corruption
involved in the business, saying: "It's useless to register with the [Thai]
authorities, because illegal workers still have to pay local police Bt500 to
Bt1,000 in 'tea money' [bribes] every month."
Chairman of the House
Committee on Labour Affairs Premsak Piayura, said human-smuggling rings based in
Burma, Laos and Cambodia earned an estimated Bt1 billion a year.
"Ours is a patronage society," Premsak said. "Honest officers dare
not arrest trafficking suspects for fear of offending high-ranking
officials."
Existing policies are not adequate because government
officials, including the police, are either involved or turn a blind eye, he
said.
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The Times of India
City doctors train
Myanmar pharmacologists
PTI[ SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2003 01:01:19 AM
]
MUMBAI: Myanmar's first therapeutic and drug-monitoring
(TDM) unit will be set up in Yangon, the capital city, by two clinical
pharmacologists who underwent a 12-week training course at the KEM Hospital
here.
The setting up of the TDM unit is part of the Myanmar
government's programme to boost healthcare and education.
Speaking
to presspersons, Dr Thaw Zin and Dr Khine Khine Lwin, senior research scientists
at the government department of medical research in Myanmar, who underwent the
training, said it was the first time that clinical pharmacologists had been sent
to India to train in new principles and techniques of clinical pharmacology
under the World Health Organisation-sponsored programme.
To begin
with, WHO will provide training and special reagents while the Myanmar
government will provide the premises and major equipment for the TDM unit.
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