A Taiwanese prosecutor is calling on Ottawa to provide better co-operation and intelligence to help stop the flow of Canadian marijuana, after two massive busts in the Asian country earlier this year. More than 70 kilograms of marijuana shipped from Vancouver were seized in April and June by Taiwanese customs at the Port of Keelung. Seven Taiwanese were charged in the busts. However, the official says Taiwan has had no luck in getting information about the Canadian end of the situation. [continues 600 words]
An American man committed suicide inside a courtroom in Taiwan after being given a four-year sentence. A witness and a hospital staff member describe what happened. HONG KONG - An American man who had been convicted of growing marijuana in Taiwan killed himself in a courtroom after he was sentenced to a four-year prison term, according to court officials. The man, Tyrel Martin Marhanka, 41, slashed his throat with a pair of scissors on Thursday, the Changhua District Court said in a written statement. He was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved. [continues 280 words]
Drug trafficking on international flights is on the increase as more people turn to drugs as a source of revenue to help weather the economic slump, the airport police at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport said, citing flights to and from Southeast Asia as the most popular routes used to move drugs. During the global economic downturn, airport drug enforcement agents said drug trafficking has increased at all levels of society, ranging from the super rich down to blue collar workers. "People are very uncertain about their future, especially when it is becoming more difficult to earn a living," said an agent, speaking on condition of anonymity in an interview with the Central News Agency. [continues 162 words]
The number of drug offenders rose sharply in the first 11 months of last year, mainly because of a sentence commutation program implemented in the second half of 2007, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said yesterday. Ministry statistics showed that between January and November, courts convicted 37,700 people of narcotics-related offenses, up 52.1 percent from the same period in 2007. The figures also show that 86.9 percent of the convicts were repeat offenders who had been released under the 2007 commutation program. [continues 235 words]
Six out of every 100 seventh graders have tried drugs, according to a survey published yesterday. Yang Cheng-ping, secretary-general of the Champions Education Association, said in releasing the results of the survey he was shocked to find so many students have tried drugs. Altogether 17,265 seventh graders were polled by the Champions Education Association. Of them 6.1 percent admitted to using drugs at least once, Yang said. No tally of addicts was available. Among the drugs used were ketamine and Ecstasy, Yang said. No hard drugs such as heroine were mentioned, he added. [continues 231 words]
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Department of Health (DOH) is planning to expand the coverage of vending machines providing clean needles and syringes around the island in its bid to cut HIV/AIDS transmission, a health official said yesterday. Yang Shih-yang, a section chief of the DOH Centers for Disease Control (CDC), made the remarks while reporting at a meeting of the Interior Committee of the Legislative Yuan on the feasibility of legislation on alternative treatment for drug abusers. Also in attendance were Interior Minister Lee Yi-yang and officials from the DOH, the Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency. [continues 299 words]
Though discrimination and stigma run deep, Taiwanese activists and officials are pushing for greater awareness about HIV/AIDS to thwart an emerging epidemic Thunderous applause erupts as Hank (his English name is used to protect his identity) finishes a speech about contracting and living with AIDS. A young man - one of more than 400 in attendance - wends his way through the lecture hall to shake Hank's hand, then embraces him in a bear hug. Over by the stage, young women line up to have their picture taken hugging Regan Hofmann, a guest speaker. [continues 1347 words]
The Taipei Customs Office (TPCO) yesterday announced it confiscated a total of 139,803 grams of illegal drugs and one million Hong Kong dollars in cash last month as part of their anti-smuggling campaign. Among the list of confiscated drugs are 130,549 grams of ketamine, 8,191 grams of heroin, and 1,063 grams of marijuana. Other smuggled products included four ivory tusk decorative items, 1,004 pairs of sunglasses, and 2,010 Viagra pills. According to the TPCO, most of the contraband was hidden in secret compartments inside luggage or carry-on bags, shoe soles, or ingested by passengers as in the case of illegal drugs. The TPCO said it is continuing to strengthen local and international cooperation in their anti-smuggling efforts to protect the public's health and safety. [end]
Cannabis smokers are unwittingly funding Islamist extremists linked to terror attacks in Spain, Morocco and Algeria, according to a joint investigation by the Spanish and French secret services. The finding will be seized on both by campaigners for a harsher clampdown on cannabis and by those who argue that legalization is the only way to end a petty dealing trend that is dragging growing numbers of teenagers into crime. The investigation by the Centro Nacional de Inteligencia and the Renseignements Generaux was launched after Spanish police found that the Islamists behind the March 2004 bombings in Madrid bought their explosives from former miners in return for blocks of hashish. The bombings claimed 191 lives. [continues 215 words]
If corrupt government officials have a negative effect on society, famous entertainers addicted to drugs are an even more adverse influence on social values. At least seven well-known entertainers in Taiwan will have to go through mandatory drug rehabilitation now that they have tested positive for using prohibited drugs. The news came as a shock because most of these entertainers are extremely popular personalities with a huge fan base. Their behavior has deeply hurt their admirers. Prosecutor Wu Wen-cheng urged entertainers who have abused drugs to turn themselves in immediately and seek help, including going through rehabilitation at hospitals designated by the Department of Health. [continues 87 words]
Prosecutors are casting a wider net after receiving reports that there were still more celebrities in Taiwan's entertainment community have been using illegal drugs. The crackdown on drug abuse is expected to intensify in view of public response to the negative publicity caused by a group of entertainers who were tested positive for using prohibited drugs. Government officials, including Premier Su Tseng-chang and Interior Minister Lee Yi-yang, have been exerting all efforts to hit hard on crimes, including drug smuggling and abuse, since Su took office and declared war on crimes early this year. [continues 340 words]
The number of drug addicts in Taiwan suffering from AIDS has been growing rapidly in recent years, prompting law enforcement authorities to step up a crackdown on drug trafficking, prosecutors said yesterday. The number of addicts infected with AIDS began increasing sharply in 2003, according to statistics compiled by the Ministry of Justice. In 2004, there were 544 reported cases around the island, a seven-fold growth over the 2003 level and exceeding the combination of the aggregate number posted during the 1998-2003 period. [continues 209 words]
The Tainan Prosecutor's Office has launched an experimental program to offer suspended indictments to drug addicts on condition of compulsory treatment, as part of efforts to reduce overall drug dependency. Starting Sept. 1, the prosecutor's office will cooperate with the government-run Chianan Psychiatric Center in southern Tainan County in carrying out the experimental program as part of a nationwide drug hazard reduction campaign. Those intending to join the program should not be HIV-carriers, addicted to heroin for more than a year or previous recipients of rehabilitation treatment. [continues 264 words]
Reducing Harm: The plan aims to help addicts through substitute drugs and rehabilitation and will be implemented nationwide on July 1 The Department of Health is expected to broaden the scope of its Harm Reduction Program for drug addicts starting on July 1, supported by the Cabinet's allocation of NT$81 million (US$2.5 million) from its second reserved budget. The Harm Reduction Program will include a clean-needle project, expand HIV examination and offer substitute treatment for drug addicts. [continues 360 words]
A total of 520 Taiwanese students were arrested for narcotics abuse last year, with amphetamines and ecstasy being the most commonly used drugs, according to official statistics released yesterday. Cases of ketamine abuse have been increasing in recent years, the statistics show. However, the number signifies a decrease in cases among students compared with 2004 and 2003, when 602 and 594 cases respectively were reported. The National Police Administration tallies were unveiled during a conference for local education chiefs. Wang Fu-lin, head of the Ministry of Education's Department of Military Training and Education, said new drugs -- such as ecstasy, ketamine and nimetazepam - -- are replacing heroin and amphetamine as the most commonly used drugs among teenagers in Taiwan. [end]
Crackdown: Those Caught Taking Minor Drugs Such As Ketamine And Ecstasy Could Soon Face Detention and Forced Treatment at One Of Several Centers Around the Nation The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is amending a law which will enable the agency to detain people who use minor drugs and force them to undergo treatment. "The proposed amendment will help teenagers and youths give up taking minor drugs such as ketamine, MDMA [ecstasy] or flunitrazepam frequently used in pubs or KTVs, and also be a punishment to deter people from using these kinds of drugs," Vice Minister of Justice Wang Tian-sheng said. [continues 355 words]
Urgent measures are needed to combat the rise in drug abuse and related HIV infections, government officials said yesterday. They said that drug-use prevention measures should start in the schools, to target youth at an early age. According to Wang Guo-Long, deputy director of the department of military training education in the Ministry of Education (MOE), the amount of drugs discovered by criminal investigative bodies this year was 12,728kg, compared to 8,597kg last year and 8,428kg in 2003, showing the growing seriousness of the problem. [continues 262 words]
A Port Moody couple was waiting Tuesday to hear from their son, Mathieu James Forand, who is facing a possible death penalty in Taiwan after his arrest Friday on drug-trafficking charges. According to media reports from Vancouver and Taiwan, the 28-year-old English teacher was arrested by police during a drug bust that allegedly involved quantities of cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana found in Forand's Taipei apartment. Drug crimes, under Taiwanese law, are subject to capital punishment, and the prosecution is reportedly seeking the death penalty or 25 years in prison. [continues 324 words]
B.C. Man Accused Of Drug Offences A B.C. teacher facing the death penalty in Taiwan over drug charges has received a visit from a Canadian official, but there's little Canada can do to help him. Mathieu Forand, 28, was arrested Friday night in a raid at his Taipei apartment. Authorities allege he was found with cocaine, ecstacy and marijuana. Friends of Forand in Taiwan said he was allegedly found with one to five kilograms of cocaine. Drug crimes are subject to capital punishment in Taiwan, although the nation is phasing out the death penalty. [continues 243 words]
Taiwan's first needle exchange program, (exchanging non-sterile drug injection equipment for sterile materials) is scheduled to start tomorrow. It failed to get off the ground last month, and without support from the Ministry of Justice and NGOs, critics questions whether it will ever fully materialize. Despite overwhelming international evidence that HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection rates among intravenous drug users can be reduced with comprehensive needle exchange programs (NEP), harm reduction efforts in Taiwan are being thwarted by a judicial system and public that stigmatizes easy access to injection equipment, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). [continues 1544 words]
CNA , Taipei - Minister of Justice Shih Mao-lin said yesterday police officers should do more to crack down on drug trafficking and use because such offenses have been closely associated with other criminal activities. Shih made the remarks while attending a "drug-free homeland" activity organized by the Taipei Prosecutor's Office to mark the June 26 International Anti-Drug Day. In 2003 and last year, Shih said, more than 8,400kg of contraband drugs were seized around the country. Worse still, he said, 30-plus amphetamine producing facilities were discovered during the same period, indicating that amphetamine production has gradually moved back to Taiwan from China. [continues 302 words]
Taiwan's health authorities said Sunday they were considering providing drug users with access to sterile syringes, since needle sharing rather than sex is now the leading mode of HIV infection on the island. Under the harm-reduction program, "police may no longer follow the drug users who buy needles and injection equipment from drug stores," said Tsai Shu-fen, an official with Thailand's Centers for Disease Control. Implementation of the measure by local governments may vary, Tsai said, and the program would be started on a trial basis after further discussions among relevant government agencies. [continues 139 words]
YOUTH CRIME: Urine screening on school and college campuses will form part of a joint government campaign to fight illegal and harmful behavior among young people In a bid to eradicate drugs and violence from school and college campuses, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) and the Department of Health (DOH) yesterday launched a campaign to fight the two major causes of youth crime and build healthier campuses. With the assistance of the MOI and DOH, the education ministry announced several strategies to fight campus violence and drug abuse, including the establishment of hotlines at the National Police Agency to report campus crimes, expanding the "anti-drug promotional lecture" tour and conducting urine screening on campus. [continues 439 words]
Gradual Phase-Out: Activists Said Changes To The Criminal Code That Rule Out Capital Punishment For Those Under 18 Or Over 80 Are A Step In The Right Direction A group opposed to the death penalty commended yesterday's overhaul of the Criminal Code through a law amendment aimed at gradually abolishing the death penalty. The groups also urged for the strengthening of correctional counseling to inmates. Yesterday's final reading of the Criminal Code amendment abolished the death penalty for individuals under the age of 18 or over the age of 80. [continues 294 words]
'Narcotic Culture' By Frank Dikotter Takes A Fresh Look At The Usual Take On History That Suggests The Use Of Opium By The Chinese Was Entirely Negative Opium has always been associated, for better or worse, with China. And almost invariably it's been for the worse. The myth, in both the Christian West and the communist East, has been that this pernicious substance was brought to the Celestial Empire by the perfidious British, forced onto a gullible people, and as a result accelerated the decline of a once-great nation. [continues 904 words]
While authorities say it's not as popular as amphetamines, ecstasy or even heroin, marijuana is finding its share of users among Taiwanese and even spawning a cottage industry Taipei's Shilin night market is known for stocking just about every item you'd ever need. But now there is a line of products on offer that few Taiwanese have ever needed before: bongs and pipes and widgets and wallets emblazoned with bright green pot leaves. The place where they're being sold is turning more than a few curious heads and - -- more to the point -- its owner is turning a handsome profit. [continues 1516 words]
A Taoyuan policeman was convicted of dope trafficking and sentenced to life imprisonment yesterday. Ma Chang-sheng, 43, of Taoyuan, was not given a death sentence the prosecution had requested. A Nantou district court judge did not explain why he did not hand down the sentence as requested on last April 29. In a written verdict, the judge imposed a fine of NT$10 million on Ma, a public safety patrolman at Taoyuan. Su Tan, a 30-year-old common law wife of the policeman, was convicted of collaboration and given a sentence of ten years in prison. [continues 78 words]
Chang Shu-Yuan, Dean Of Operation Dawn's Counseling Department The local Christian church Operation Dawn, together with Friends of Hsing Lin Tzu (FHLT), yesterday launched a support group and hotline for drug addicts' families in the hope of helping families and addicts recover from the damage done by drugs. Parents seeking help for their drug-addicted children can call the hot line on 02-223-1774. "The hot line and counseling services offered by Operation Dawn is mainly faith-based. The counselors are professionally trained in theology, and they have basic training in psychology, too," said the dean of the church's counseling department, Chang Shu-yuan ( i'Q'D). [continues 257 words]
Major kudos to Emma Bonino for her outstanding article ("It's time for a ceasefire in the largely ignored war on drugs," April 16, page 9). However, the war on drugs has not been ignored on this side of the globe. The war on drugs has transformed the former "Land of Liberty"into the most incarcerated nation in history. With less than 5 percent of the world's population, the US has greater than 25 percent of the world's prisoners, thanks primarily to our counter-productive war on certain (politically selected) drugs. [continues 92 words]
The world must develop a different approach to combating narcotics trafficking before we all become addicted to the UN's failed strategy of prohibition By Emma Bonino Wednesday, Apr 16, 2003,Page 9 The world's attention has been focused on the war on Iraq. But another war -- this one UN-sanctioned -- has been going on simultaneously -- the war on drugs. In my view, every sensible person should want this largely ignored war to end as well. While the UN should play a role in leading Iraq toward a free and democratic society, it must also change dramatically its own course in the war on drugs and lead the world to a saner policy. [continues 743 words]
The US State Department's recent assessment of Taiwan's cooperation in the drug war is a clear indicator that the US government uses its superpower status to export a dangerous moral crusade around the globe ("US reports on laundering crimes, drugs in Taiwan," Mar. 3, page 4). The tough-on-some-drugs approach is a proven failure. Consider the experience of the former land of the free and current record holder in citizens incarcerated. Police searches on public transit, drug-sniffing dogs in schools, and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties in the US, while failing miserably at preventing drug use. [continues 121 words]
Despite recent strides in fighting money laundering tied to international crime and drug trafficking, Taiwan is still vulnerably to illicit laundering operations and remains an area of concern to US law enforcement officials, a State Depart-ment report issued Saturday says. The report, covering developments from last year, details drug trafficking and money laundering in some 185 countries worldwide. While Taiwan gained high marks for its efforts to reduce the trafficking of narcotics destined for the US, it remained on a list of 53 major money laundering countries that included such countries as China, France, Germany, Britain, Japan and the US itself plus Hong Kong. That makes it a "jurisdiction of primary concern" over laundering, according to the report. [continues 434 words]
The owner of a bird-feed shop in southern Taiwan was arrested for selling marijuana seeds in the guise of pigeon feed, the Coast Guard Administration said yesterday. Administration law enforcement agents raided a feed shop in Luchu, Kaohsiung County Friday afternoon and arrested the owner, Chuang Yung- sen, 49, and seized 39.8kg of marijuana seeds. Police said that the seizure was the largest in years. The seeds, if germinated, could yield a profit of about NT$4 billion (US$116 million), they added. [continues 287 words]
COOPERATION: Officials from the US Drug Enforcement Administration are meeting with local law enforcement to help them improve their skills in hunting down dealers The first joint Taiwan-US drug enforcement workshop kicked off yesterday in Taipei, following a groundbreaking agreement signed in March. The four-day 2002 Drug Enforcement Work Training Seminar, held by the Bureau of Investigation and the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), runs until Friday. During the seminar, DEA Hong Kong Country Office Chief Thomas Ma ( "((BAM) and a team of four officials from Washington will share their experiences in drug enforcement with local law enforcement authorities. [continues 388 words]
Taiwan's Nascent Drug Policies Are Being Taken To Task As The Number Of Arrests And Seizures Of Illicit Substances Increases Each Year To pick out users, police have resorted to screening suspected drug users through urine tests and, at least in parts of Taipei, blood tests that look for both drugs and HIV. While the legality of urine tests is debatable, the police's authority to screen for HIV could only be described by John Chang, chief prosecutor of Taoyuan County, as an "administrative decision that is something separate from the law." [continues 2370 words]
Taiwanese criminal investigators believe a North Korean naval gunboat helped supply local drug smugglers with 79kg of heroin that was seized in a pre-dawn raid on Tuesday. The indications of a North Korean military link in the smuggling operation uncovered by the Taiwanese authorities will fuel suspicions that Pyongyang is tolerating and even encouraging involvement in international crime, as a way of earning scarce foreign currency. News of the case broke after investigators on Tuesday arrested nine suspects at a northern Taiwanese port and seized 198 packets of heroin with a street value of around T$200m ( 6m). [continues 244 words]
I found your article featuring Wang Shih-Chien criticizing Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's crackdown on ecstasy ("Councilor shaking his head over Ma's ecstacy crackdown," April 9, page 1) interesting. I like to go out dance in nightclubs (without using drugs) and I have witnessed Ma's tactics and am also very critical of them. On Christmas weekend, police raided a popular club and took all 300 people there down to the police station for urine testing. These people appeared on national television, had their faces on the front page of your paper the next day, and had to wait up to 10 hours at the police station on a Sunday morning for urine tests, when they probably really needed a good sleep. [continues 245 words]
Drug Madness: According To Wang Shih-chien, It's Not Difficult To Score The 'Head-Shake Pill' In Taipei, And The Mayor Has Done Little To Combat The Problem Despite his promises, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou hasn't done enough to rid the city of ecstasy, a city councilor alleged yesterday. "Ma says he's determined to eliminate ecstasy from the city," Wang Shih-chien, DPP city councilor, said yesterday. "But how much has he really accomplished." Wang said that ecstasy has continued to grow in popularity among teenagers, despite Ma's pledge two years ago to "make ecstasy disappear from the city." [continues 383 words]
From Washington's Point Of View A Lot Has Improved In Its "Backyard" But It's Too Early To Start Celebrating US President George W. Bush, the world now realizes, was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. World events, everything from the political composition of the US Supreme Court, from terrorism to the US economy seem to have a preordained way of working in his electoral favor. Again it is happening with Latin America. By rights the chickens should be coming home to roost as Bush girds up for his visit to Mexico, Peru and Central America but, in fact, Argentina apart, the tides, both political and economic, appear to be working in his favor. Just the other day the IMF issued a report saying that Latin America was "set for recovery," likely to benefit from lower financing costs, higher commodities and an expected rebound in the US economy, with a projected growth by the end of the year of 4 percent (excluding Argentina). [continues 817 words]
PUBLIC AWARENESS: The vice minister of health said yesterday that drug abuse by the nation's youth was rising and more illegal intoxicants are gaining currency The Department of Health warned yesterday that drug abuse among the nation's youth is on the rise. "There are many indications that the number of young people abusing substances in our country is on the increase and there are always new substances being abused," Yang Han-chuan (."o~-u), vice minister of health, said at a press conference. [continues 444 words]
The Hardline Religious Group Supports Its Activities By Dealing In Hard Drugs In horrors reminiscent of the Roman coliseum, Kabul Sports Stadium packs in capacity crowds of 30,000 to witness Taliban justice. Adulterers are flogged, murderers killed, and thieves have their right hand and left foot amputated. Taliban soldiers gleefully parade around the stadium holding up severed limbs. The Taliban movement originated in the dismal Pakistani refugee camps during the Afghan-Soviet conflict, and grew during the Afghan Civil war between rival political factions following the Soviet departure. The Taliban promised to bring peace to an Afghan population weary of 16 years of warfare. Instead, they turned on the Afghan population.'The scourge of Afghan heroin has hit Pakistan the hardest. Addiction rates soared from less than 20,000 in 1980 to over 2,000,000 today, making it the world's largest heroin addict population.' [continues 1315 words]
The mind sets of policy makers about liberalizing drug laws are hard to believe. Facts are ignored and prejudice stoked into fires, but there is a growing pro lobby It should come as no surprise to the organizers of the World Conference Against Racism that many US activists want to hijack this conference that started in Durban on Friday to force a debate about how it is that the US' "war on drugs" has turned into an apartheid- like device that imprisons black men at 13 times the rate of white men. [continues 906 words]
Inside Taiwan
