THE WAR THAT WON'T GO AWAY

Like most wars, the society problem often labelled as the "war on
drugs" is a matter of many small battles. This war has had many ups
and downs since the government of Gen Sarit Thanarat banned opium in
1959. It should not be surprising that drug trafficking and usage are
increasing once again.

The powerful profits of the drug gangs, combined with corruption and
inattention, make it certain that the drugs trade remains a threat.
What is important for the well-being of the country is that
authorities stay alert, and stop fighting this war with yesterday's
battle tactics. The fact of resurgent drug trafficking now seems
beyond debate. This will surprise some people, who thought that the
murderous and intimidating campaign of the former government might be
the decisive, winning battle. Under ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra,
police and anti-drug forces teamed up in a campaign to wipe out petty
drug-dealing. A chief tactic was the extra-judicial murder. Neither
the overall death toll nor the number of totally innocent people
killed is known. The best guess is that somewhere around 1,200 people died.

Authorities must be pushed and supported by the public to pursue the
abuses of civil rights in the 2003 campaign against the amphetamines
trade. Police have dragged their feet, and the military-backed
government has not taken up the cases aggressively enough. But there
also are two lessons here, seemingly unlearnt. First is the fact, as
we now see, that a vigilante campaign against small-time drug dealers
does little to inhibit the trade in illegal drugs. The second is that
there must be strict and clear guidelines that police who step
outside the law to kill suspects will be dealt with swiftly and
harshly - by the law they so badly disrespect.

But what of 2007? Hilltribe leaders have warned clearly of increasing
heroin trade from Burma's part of the Golden Triangle. The top
government experts of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board have
just as clearly warned of a resurgence of drug use. The drug
traffickers have evolved. The Burma-based drug gangs no longer trek
opium on the backs of mules. They use a sophisticated, international
smuggling ring with all the tools of globalisation, rapid movement
across borders and contacts around the world.

New drugs are entering Thailand from abroad, creating a spiralling
upward demand for so-called recreational drugs - cocaine from South
America, ecstasy from Europe, crystal methamphetamine from Southeast
Asian labs, and many more. There are worrying signs elsewhere inside
Thailand. The opium crop, negligible for two decades, has grown
significantly. Authorities must stop and reverse this alarming trend.
There is little opium consumption in Thailand. A growth in opium
acreage means the drugs gangs are financing farmers to provide the
raw material for heroin. One way or the other, the ONCB must persuade
the landowners to stop.

Once again, the lack of information and education is effectively
encouraging drug use and drug smuggling, particularly by young
people. From harsher prison sentences to nightclub raids for urine
tests, the focus is entirely on the suppliers of the drugs. There
must be far more attention to the demand side of this dirty business.
A generation of youngsters has little information about illicit
drugs. The downside of drug addiction and abuse is seldom mentioned.
Nor is there much said about the most dramatic reason not to become
involved in drug trafficking. Young Thais, mostly women, are flying
off to South America on an expedition to pick up cocaine. In many
cases, they are not coming back. The penalties for drug smuggling in
that part of the world are as harsh as in Thailand; the prisons are worse.

Finally, the lack of international cooperation in combatting the
cross-border drug gangs remains depressing. Burma cooperates little,
but in fact the lines of communications even among willing countries are slow.

Make no mistake. The battles against drug trafficking constitute a
real war. That conflict was declared by drug gangs against society.
And society must fight back.