'AWARENESS VITAL IN FIGHT AGAINST ECSTASY'

GENTING HIGHLANDS: The Ecstasy threat had to be eliminated before it
destroyed a whole generation, said MCA vice-president Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn
yesterday.

Dr Fong said the party was very concerned about the problem and felt that it
was vital to get the support of parents.

"We will also discuss with the police, non-governmental organisations,
parents-teacher associations, schools and employers,'' he said, noting that
the discussion could help increase awareness on the problem and the symptoms
of taking the pill.

Knowing who the Ecstasy pill users were, said Dr Fong, would enable people
like parents, teachers and counsellors to help them get away from this
dangerous "culture''.

Dr Fong said what concerned the Chinese community was that the Ecstasy pill
users would develop long term side effects and health problems which
affected them in various ways, such as their lives, studies and work.

In Kuantan, Pahang MCA Anti-Social Ills Committee chairman Ti Lian Ker said
the menace plaguing the younger generation was not confined to the Chinese
but affected all communities.

"I have received many remarks that MCA is only embarking on the project to
fight this social ill just because it affects the Chinese.

"I want to state here that the campaign by MCA is for the people of Malaysia
and not just because it concerns the Chinese community.

"Besides, the pills are so cheap now that everyone can afford to buy them,''
he said in an interview.

Ti, who is also the Indera Mahkota assemblyman, added that the approach by
MCA was to complement the efforts by the police and the relevant
authorities.