Customs officials in the
southwestern province of Yunnan
announced on Sunday they had seized smuggled liquid opium for the
first time. Over 7 kilograms were found over the weekend on two men
about to board a train at Luxi station in Dehong Dai and Jingpo
Autonomous Prefecture.
A three-year anti-drug and AIDS prevention campaign was launched in
Dehong earlier this year, where 25,280 people are known to be
dependent on drugs?-- at 2.41 percent of the local population,
the highest rate in the country.
"Time is crucial in curbing the spread of drug use and HIV/AIDS,"
said Liu Wusan, vice governor of the prefecture. "The estimated
14,000 students who fail to go to middle school and university each
year are particularly at risk."
The prefecture shares a 503.8 kilometer-boundary with Myanmar,
thought to be the main route for illicit drugs entering China. The
suspects found with the opium said they had got it from a man from
Myanmar and were to sell it on to Chinese dealers.
Local police said it is easy and inexpensive to buy drugs here as
it is near to their source and because dealers are very
active.
Most users over 50 years old have substituted opium for heroin,
others become users because drugs are traditionally used as
medicines to cure illnesses according to local customs.
Young people lack knowledge of the risks involved, and there has
been little effective preventive education. They make up the great
majority of drug users, and most are illiterate or
semiliterate.
Injecting drug use greatly facilitates the spread of HIV, and the
first positive diagnosis among drug users in Dehong was made in the
late 1980s. Ignorant of the dangers and fearful of hurting Dehong's
image, the local government did not make it public until
1999.
By the end of last year, 8,124 people were reported to be HIV
positive or to have AIDS, 90 percent of whom were drug users.
"The situation would not be in such a mess if the local government
had been open about it earlier," said Duan Yijung, director of the
AIDS Prevention and Treatment Center affiliated to the Center for
Disease Prevention and Control in Ruili, Dehong. "Many of the
people who became infected had no idea how serious the situation
was, so did not take precautions."
The new program involves over 1,500 officials working at different
levels in 333 villages and 26 communities and farms.
"We visit houses one by one to persuade and help drug users to
stop," said Zhou Wenbin, vice director of Dehong's Sub-Police
Station, "At night, we organize showings of feature films for
villagers, including anti-drug films."
The villagers have responded positively, since many have not seen a
film in over ten years.
Zhou said he and his colleagues are helping villagers set up
anti-drug teams and to get anti-drug compacts signed with everyone.
They also help villagers find other ways to make a living.
Central government has earmarked 800 million yuan (US$97 million)
to the provincial government to help bring the situation under
control.
(China.org.cn by Unisumoon April 19, 2005)