In an effort to tackle drug abuse and its related social issues in the nation, the Narcotics Control Bureau together with the Tutong District Office yesterday organised an Anti-Drugs Programme and whipping demonstration for the residents in the district.

With the theme "Masyarakat Perkasa Bangsa Bermaruah", the event was held at the official residence of the Tutong District Officer, Awg Abd Mutalib bin Hj Md Idris, who was also the guest of honour at the function.

The function began with the reading of Surah al-Fatihah and doa selamat, followed by the opening remarks from the chairman of the ceremony, Awg Mohd Jaffari bin Hj Mahadi, Acting Assistant Director of the Drug Prevention Education Unit.

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PUTRAJAYA, Wed. - Urine tests will be carried out regularly in all schools in another attempt to weed out drug addiction.

And parents have been urged not to be upset if their children are among those picked at random for the drug checks.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar said today the move was necessary to curb drug addiction.

Speaking after closing a Biro Tatanegara motivational programme for schools in Putrajaya at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Dua here, he said 374 students tested positive for drugs last year.

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Brickwall In Drug Trafficking Cases

PUTRAJAYA, Mon: Prosecutors are coming up against a brick wall in drug trafficking cases.

Archive Since 1991 In many cases, the suspects they hope to send to the gallows are getting away with lighter sentences for the less serious offence of possession.

The reason: A Federal Court ruling in February that the prosecution had to prove positive and affirmative possession in order to invoke presumption of trafficking.

Today, Court of Appeal judge Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman suggested that the Attorney-General recommend to the Government that the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 be amended. "We are prepared to stand by if the laws are amended," he said, noting that the dadah problem was the number one threat in the country.

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TWO operators of a popular nightspot in Malacca have been charged with allowing drugs to be consumed in their disco.

Archive Since 1991 This makes them the first club owners to be brought to court since Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar directed the police early last month to enforce Section 13(C) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. There is no doubt that this addresses a previous anomaly in the execution of the law against drug taking and trafficking where action was only taken against the patrons but not the operators.

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PETALING JAYA, Sat. -- Simon Pok remembers mostly three things from the last 12 months: smoking syabu, being angry and driving fast.

Archive Since 1991 It was a bad combination, which saw him ramming his car into drivers who did not get out of his way in the fast lane. Sometimes he would overtake them instead, and slam on his brakes to force them to stop.

Angry drivers confronted him, but all backed off when faced with a screaming, swearing youth in a drug-fuelled rage.

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PUTRAJAYA: Drug abuse and sex crimes are the main problems afflicting Malay youths and there is a need to focus on finding solutions for these issues.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave his opinion on the problems plaguing Malays in the country in an hour-long meeting with members of Umno Youth at his office at the Perdana Leadership Foundation yesterday.

"They asked to speak to me and I gave them my opinions and why there is this need for us to focus on resolving these issues among the Malay youths," he told reporters later.

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S.S. Yoga Finds Out Why an Exotic Tree Has Been in the News for The Wrong Reasons.

A CERTAIN tree is getting scientists excited because of its medicinal and drug-related properties. The authorities, on the other hand, are rather displeased about the effects this tree or more accurately its leaves have on people. What is the fuss about?

The tree, locally known as ketum or biak or scientifically, Mitragyna speciosa, is found mainly in Perlis and Kedah and the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Ketum also grows in Thailand (where it is called kratom) and the Philippines, while other Mitragyna species are found in India and Africa.

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KUALA LUMPUR: The drug problem in the country is at a " dangerous level" and continues to be a menace to society, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

Abdullah, who launched the Karnival Enam Jahanam (Six Evils Carnival) anti-drug campaign last night, said the fact that there were a high number of youths involved in drugs was worrying.

"Drugs are a big danger to our country. In 2004, there were 38,672 addicts, of which 28,052 were between the ages of 19 and 30 while another 1,255 were between 13 and 18.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Drug kingpins and syndicate members are investing their ill-gotten gains in blue-chip shares and upmarket properties.

City police narcotics department chief Asst Comm Othman Harun said they had seized properties and assets worth a staggering RM14mil from several drug syndicate bosses and members during operations conducted last year.

"Bungalow houses, shares and luxury cars were among the assets seized from 40 drug kingpins and syndicate members.

"The syndicates had also invested their ill-gotten gains in shares in blue-chip companies, including government-linked ones,'' he added.

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Kota Kinabalu: Police will invoke a new legal provision to charge repeat addicts in court in future instead of sending them to rehabilitation centres, Sabah Police Commissioner, Dato Mangsor Ismail said Wednesday.

He said for the repeat addicts, police would invoke the new provision, namely Section 3 of the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA).

"Previously, we arrest and send them to rehabilitation centres, but now with the availability of Section 3, we can arrest and take them to court.

"The court can impose appropriate punishment and they need not be sent to rehabilitation centres," he said.

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KUALA LUMPUR: For at least RM30 a day and a free cellphone, schoolchildren and teenagers are working for drug distribution syndicates as their lookouts.

City Narcotics Department head Asst Comm Othman Harun said police discovered that the syndicates recruited schoolchildren and teenagers for the job following the arrests of 1,024 people, including syndicate heads from the San Peng flats area.

"From our investigations, we found that they took in children as young as 13 years old. Their main function is to inform the syndicate when there is police presence in the distribution area," ACP Othman said here yesterday.

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ALOR STAR: When soccer players take their half-time break during football matches, a five-minute video clip on the dangers of drug abuse will be screened on the scoreboard.

This would be the scenario at future matches under a plan by the National Anti-Drug Agency.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Noh Omar said his ministry, which oversees the agency, would work with the Youth and Sports Ministry to start this anti-drug drive as many youths watched football games.

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Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said police will be stepping up surveillance and patrolling, including in housing estates, to counter the increase in crimes lately.

"This was decided today. The State Government will go all out to support security forces in combating crimes and reduce them as much as possible," he said, after chairing the State Security Committee's first meeting this year at Wisma Innoprise in Likas, Thursday.

"The Government is sensitive to the concern of the people who are worried about the escalating major crimes, especially in the City area," he said, adding the overall security in Sabah was under control.

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X WAS 16 years old when his parents divorced. It was a trying period prior to that as there were frequent arguments and uncertainty in the air. Because of his parental problems X had problems focusing in school and did poorly in his Form 3 exams.

There were many things X wanted to tell his parents, but he hadn't the chance. They were too engrossed in their own problems. He resorted to talking to a friend in school whose parents were also divorced.

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IPOH: A hotelkeeper and an unemployed man were sentenced to death by the High Court here on Friday after they were found guilty of trafficking 40.45gm of heroin 10 years ago.

Ma Hon Ching, 57, and Bee Song Chua, 56, were calm when sentence was passed by Justice Abdull Hamid Embong.

They were found guilty of trafficking in the drug at about 11.55am on Feb 3, 1994, at a stall at the Ipoh bus station at Jalan Tun Abdul Razak here.

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A Malaysian national was sentenced to death by hanging by the Brunei High Court yesterday for possessing a compressed slab of cannabis weighing 922.276 grammes for the purpose of trafficking. His compatriot, who was jointly charged, however escaped the noose. Under the Brunei law, possessing more than 600 grammes of a controlled drug carries the death penalty.

The defendant, Lam Ming Hwa, who is the second defendant, was found guilty after trial for possessing the said drugs by the Chief Justice Dato Seri Paduka Mohammed Saied and Judge Dato Paduka Steven Chong.

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PUTRAJAYA: "Green lanes" at the country's entry points are up for review after the Customs Department foiled yet another attempt to bring in drugs through this facility at the KLIA -- the fourth in two weeks.

Among the changes to be considered under the review is the revoking of this facility.

Deputy director-general (prevention) Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid said the department caught a Taiwanese woman, 30, trying to smuggle in 9,980 Erimin-5 pills worth some RM150,000 through the green lane at KLIA on Friday.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Itching and trouble urinating are some of the uncommon signs that parents should look out for if they suspect their teenagers are abusing drugs, said substance abuse expert Chris Sekar.

Sekar, who is Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre Behavioural Counselling Centre psychotherapist, said the usual warning signs include changes in behaviour, sleeping and eating patterns.

"But parents should also be aware of physical changes because drugs like amphetamines and heroin heighten sensation, so the person may experience excessive itching.

"Most people high on drugs will also take some time to urinate, as drugs constricts muscles causing difficulty in urinating," he said yesterday.

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PENANG: Eighty-three traffickers have been arrested under the Dangerous Drugs Act (Special preventive laws) 1952 in the state in the first nine months this year and were banished, state CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said yesterday.

"The police also seized more than RM1.6mil worth of property comprising houses, jewellery and vehicles, which were bought using money obtained from the sale of illicit drugs, from the traffickers.

He added: "A total of 406 drug pushers and traffickers were also charged under Section 39A and Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 during the same period."

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One Of The Participants At The Oratorical Contest

The National Anti-Drug Association (BASMIDA) will continuously try to deliver its anti-drug message to the community by organising various activities in its effort to create awareness on the dangers and misuse of drugs especially among school students.

Among the activities organised was an oratorical contest (Pertandingan Pidato) among secondary schools including Form Six centres in the country.

The finals of the contest will be held on October 9 at the UBD Multi Purpose Hall. According to Datin Hajah Masni binte Haji Mohd. Ali, President of BASMIDA, the contest is organised with the cooperation of the Schools Department and Brunei Speakers Club, sponsored by IDBB which carries the theme: "Tanpa Penyalahgunaan Dadah, Negara Teguh." The oratorical contest was also held in conjunction with the United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, which is also in line with the National Day celebration this year.

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