Cambodian drug addicts have adopted a new tactic — selling their blood to hospitals — to pay for their habits, and the practice is threatening to unravel the country‘s gains in fighting HIV / AIDS , officials and experts warn. Cambodia has had no known cases of HIV being spread by blood transfusions, but if HIV infected blood entered the hospital system in even a single case it "would be a disaster," said Dr. Massimo Ghidinelli, a World Health Organization adviser on HIV/AIDS in the country. Injecting heroin users are one of the groups most at risk for spreading HIV through the shared use of contaminated syringes. Amphetamine users are also considered high risk because the stimulant clouds their judgment and can lead to unsafe sex practices. Addicts sometimes sold their blood as often as twice a week and earned around $4.80 each time, said Kathryn O‘Connell, the report‘s author. But the country‘s health system is decrepit and poorly funded. Regular healthy blood donors are in short supply, leading to a reliance on paid donors and correct testing procedure often were not followed. A large sex industry, traditional male promiscuity and low levels of condom use in Cambodia helped give the country one of the highest HIV infection rates in Asia — though education campaigns have helped curb dangerous sexual activity. Cambodian authorities have failed to effectively tackle the illicit drug trade. (continued)

Source: Leading the Charge/KER MUNTHIT/12 November 2005/ http://www.leadingthecharge.com/stories/news-0098776.html

Police Seize Cambodian Ecstasy Trafficker In Kien Giang

The General Department of Police, in coordination with local police, has seized a Cambodian ecstasy trafficker while he was in Ha Tien city of southern Kien Giang province. Tech Xom, 43, was arrested in Ha Tien city with 167,601 tablets of ecstasy weighing 18 kg in total, making it the largest volume of ecstasy ever seized by Vietnamese police. The Ho Chi Minh City Investigation Police Office has conducted an investigation into another ecstasy trafficking ring from Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, headed by Le Van Tien and Nguyen Van Tien. Between September and late October, the city's police arrested six more offenders, all in Ho Chi Minh City, raising the total number of detained ecstasy traffickers in this case to 21.

Source: Nhan Dan/11 November 2005/ http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/life/111105/life_ecstasy.htm

China

Chinese Mafia Spins Web In The South Seas

The New Zealand and Australian Governments are worried that ethnic Chinese organised crime is menacing small Pacific Island states, says Jane's Foreign Report. The news service said New Zealand and Australia viewed with alarm the evolution of transnational organised crime based on traffic in drugs, people and weapons. Greg Urwin, secretary-general of the 16-country Pacific Forum has warned that the Pacific Islands are in danger of becoming “weak links in the global fight against transnational crime and terrorism.“ And Bire Kimisopa, the Papua New Guinea Police Minister, recently conceded that corruption was rampant and “goes right to the top.“ “Chinese mafia“ had bought bureaucrats “throughout the system“ and tried to kill people who crossed them. In Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, three ethnic Chinese businessmen have been murdered this year. The New Zealand police earlier this year spent over C$236,000 helping bust a billion-dollar methamphetamine lab in Fiji when they helped raid a factory in June, seizing drugs and chemicals with a street value of C$1.3 billion, some of which was bound for New Zealand. The laboratory in the Laucala Beach area would have churned out 1000 kilograms of the drug within a fortnight of the bust. The Solomon Islands The raid is said to have been aided by the Pacific Transnational Crime Co-ordination Centre set up by Australia in Suva last year to liaise with transnational crime units set up in the past 18 months in Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. (continued)

Source: Asian Pacific Post/9 November 2005/ http://www.asianpacificpost.com/news/article/849.html

China, Romania To Enhance Anti-Drug Co-Op

China will further cooperate with Romania in a bid to crack down on the smuggling of drugs and people, organized crime and economic crime, a senior Chinese official said here on Monday. Chinese State Councilor Zhou Yongkang, also minister of public security, told Vasile Blaga, Romanian minister of Internal affairs, that to enhance law-enforcement cooperation is in the interests of the two peoples. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security has carried out sound cooperation with Romanian counterparts, especially in traffic management, police training, and technology, Zhou said. Blaga also spoke highly of Romanian-Chinese relations, saying Romania will further cooperate with China in striking out at cross-border crimes. After their one-hour talks, Zhou and Blaga signed an agreement on preventing drug production and abuse.

Source: China View/14 November 2005/

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-11/14/content_3780032.htm

Nightclubs Responsible For Drug Use

KARAOKE bars and nightclubs will be held responsible if police find people using or selling drugs in them, the Shanghai Political and Legislative Committee announced yesterday. Bars will be shut down for six months and fined 100,000 yuan (US$12,346) if drugs are found there, even if bar owners or managers are unaware of the problem. Bars that have repeated serious drug problems could lose their business licenses. If bar managers report drug problems to police ahead of detection, they won't face any punishment, the committee said. In the past, bar owners didn't face any punishment if they ignored drug use, as long as they weren't involved in supplying the drugs, said Zhang Xiaoqun from the committee. Officials wouldn't say how many of the more than 8,000 such venues in the city are havens for drug users, but did say discos seem to be the biggest problem. The drugs most commonly used at nightclubs are ecstasy, katimine and methamphetamine (or "ice"), authorities said. The committee has sent a notice out to police, cultural market watchdogs and the Shanghai Commercial and Industrial Administrative Bureau, explaining the new rules. The notice also said cash rewards will be given to anyone reporting drug use in nightclubs. It didn't say how large the rewards would be, however. Those with information can call 2402-3396 or 2565-2409. "Entertainment venues must follow the law and prevent drug crime by themselves. (continued)

Source: Shanghai Daily/Cai Wenjun/15 November 2005/ http://www.shanghaidaily.com/art/2005/11/15/213631/Nightclubs_responsible_for_drug_use.htm

Indonesia

Bali Nine Accused Wants AFP To Testify

Defence lawyers for Martin Stephens want Australian Federal Police officers to testify at his Indonesian trial. The father of the accused Bali Nine drug mule, meanwhile, has accused the AFP of destroying the nine's lives by tipping off Indonesian police about their alleged heroin-smuggling activities knowing that they could face the death penalty. "Someone's got to be held accountable," Bill Stephens said outside Denpasar District Court where his son's trial on heroin trafficking charges was postponed for a week after prosecution witnesses failed to show up today. "What the AFP did has destroyed families," said Stephens, dressed in shorts and T-shirt and carrying a Bible. "Martin's always been a good kid. Now it's just an absolute mess." Stephens and three other alleged Bali Nine drug mules are taking legal action against the AFP in Darwin's Federal Court, seeking access to documents related to their arrest in April for allegedly trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin from Bali to Australia. All the Bali Nine face the possibility of execution by firing squad after the AFP sent Indonesian authorities letters containing detailed information about the alleged smuggling attempt. So far the AFP has said it will no longer cooperate with the Indonesians in the Bali Nine cases given that death sentences are possible. Stephens' head lawyer Wirawan Adnan said he has written to Attorney-General Philip Ruddock requesting permission to call AFP officers as defence witnesses. (continued)

Source: The Age/9 November 2005/

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bali-nine-accused-wants-afp-to-testify/2005/11/09/1131407699389.html

Bali Nine Father Planned To Intervene, Court Told

The father of one of the nine Australians held in Bali on heroin charges was going to travel there to stop his 19-year-old son committing any offences but called off the trip when he was told police had already warned the teenager, court documents show. Lee Rush said in an affidavit filed in the Federal Court yesterday that he was determined to save his son, Scott, from committing any offence in Bali, saying: "I was intending to intervene immediately." But Mr Rush said he decided not go to Bali after a Brisbane lawyer, Robert Meyers, assured him that federal police had told Scott "he was being observed and was under police surveillance". Mr Meyers said in another affidavit that he was told by Damon Patching, a Queensland policeman on secondment to the federal police, that Scott "had been spoken to at the airport" before he left Australia in April. "I immediately conveyed this information to Lee Rush," Mr Meyers said. "My state of mind after that communication was one of relief, and I said to Lee Rush words to the effect given what the [federal police] have done, we have done everything that we could conceivably do. There is no reason for you to travel to Bali to stop Scott." However, Ashley Durre, a Queensland police officer, said in an affidavit that he was present when Mr Patching called Mr Meyers on a car speaker phone the morning Scott Rush left Australia. (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/Lindsay Murdoch/10 December 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/bali-nine-father-planned-to-intervene-court-told/2005/11/09/1131407700150.html

Channel Ten v Michelle Leslie

The spokesman for Michelle Leslie – the Australian model accused of breaching Bali's drug laws – has accused Network Ten's news of secretly recording his comments and then misrepresenting them. Ten's 5pm news bulletin last Sunday ran a story following up Balinese media reports that had placed Leslie with the sons of powerful Indonesian politicians and businessmen on the night of her arrest, and alleged a cover-up to protect them. Ten ran a grab from a taped phone call with Leslie's PR manager, Sean Mulcahy, in which he said: “I've got no comment mate, my hands are tied unfortunately, I'd like to help you but (my) hands are tied.” The revelations are potentially disastrous for the Leslie's case, which is still before the courts in Bali. But while other Australian reports had clearly indicated Mulcahy's unwillingness to comment, Ten lead its 5pm bulletin last Sunday with: “…Confirmation tonight from Michelle Leslie's inner circle she was with the son of a senior Indonesian minister the night of her arrest…” The same report claimed: “Michelle Leslie's spokesman, Sean Mulcahy, has told Ten news the model was partying with a senior Indonesian politician's son. He revealed they were driving to a dance party with several others when the car was stopped by police.” And Ten's reporter in Bali, Martine Griffiths topped it off by by claiming a source from the Leslie camp said other people in the car were caught by police with drugs and let go. (continued)

Source: Crikey/Anthony Stavrinos/9 November 2005/ http://www.crikey.com.au/articles/2005/11/09-1613-7190.html

Father Blames Federal Police

DEFENCE lawyers for Martin Stephens want Australian Federal Police officers to testify at his trial. The father of the accused Bali Nine drug mule has accused the AFP of destroying the nine's lives by tipping off Indonesian police about their alleged smuggling activities knowing they could face the death penalty. "Someone's got to be held accountable," Bill Stephens said outside Denpasar District Court, where his son's trial for trafficking was postponed for a week yesterday. Stephens and three other alleged Bali Nine drug mules are taking legal action against the AFP in Darwin's Federal Court, seeking access to documents related to their arrest in April for allegedly trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin from Bali to Australia. Stephens' head lawyer Wirawan Adnan said he has written to Attorney-General Philip Ruddock requesting permission to call AFP officers as defence witnesses. It was revealed yesterday the father of teenage mule Scott Rush wanted to go to Indonesian to stop his son from wrong doing. Documents show show Lee Rush stayed in Australia because he was told Australian Federal Police agents had warned his son at Sydney airport. But documents revealed in the Darwin Federal Court show Scott Rush was not warned and the AFP instead passed information to Indonesian authorities.

Source: The Advertiser/MARIAN CARROLL/10 October 2005/ http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17195944%255E911,00.html

Minister Denies Link To Leslie

ONE of Indonesia's most powerful business and political dynasties has gone into damage-control overdrive, trying to shoot down reports that Australian model Michelle Leslie was with a member of the family when she was arrested with two ecstasy tablets in Bali. Indonesian Economy Minister Aburizal Bakrie yesterday denied claims that his son Anindra was with Ms Leslie in a silver Toyota stopped by police at the entrance to the vast Garuda Wisnu Kencana outdoor venue where a dance party was being held. Ms Leslie was seized when the tablets were found in her handbag. A man and woman also in the car, who were searched but not arrested, have disappeared. Rumours have circulated ever since that one of the car's occupants was a Bakrie family member, although to date there has been no convincing evidence. Family spokesman Lalu Mara Satria Wangsa said most of the Bakrie clan "from grandparents to grandchildren" had indeed been in Bali at the time of Ms Leslie's arrest, but that the two Bakrie sons - Anindya, 28, who is married with two children, and Anindra, 25, who has a girlfriend - had never met Ms Leslie. But he could not say exactly where the two men, or their sister Aninditha, 27, were on the evening Ms Leslie was arrested. He said the sons had denied any knowledge of a woman named Mia, who Ms Leslie claims put the drugs in her handbag and who she claims was also in the car at the time of her arrest. (continued)

Source: Courier Mail/Stephen Fitzpatrick/9 November 2005/ http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17186446%255E401,00.html

I Probably Met Leslie, Bakrie Says

The son of one of Indonesia's most powerful government ministers, Aburizal Bakrie, has admitted he "probably" met the Australian model Michelle Leslie before she was arrested for possession of ecstasy. His admission contradicts previous denials made by the Bakrie family. At a press conference, a family spokesman angrily attacked any linking of Anindra Bakrie to Leslie, who was arrested in August while on her way to the Vertigo dance party on Bali. "None of the sons was there, none of the sons knows Leslie," Lalu Mara Satriawangsa said. "None of them were in the [car], none of them were with Leslie. We didn't even know she exists. Who is this Leslie? We just heard of her." He said the reports were "rubbish", and an attempt to assassinate the character of Mr Bakrie, who is Indonesia's Economics Minister. However, the family lawyer, Aji Wijaya, has told the Herald that Anindra had probably met Leslie on Bali. After meeting Anindra yesterday, Mr Wijaya said he had attended the Vertigo party, but was inside when two ecstasy pills were found in Leslie's bag. Mr Wijaya rejected claims that Anindra was travelling with Leslie. He said Anindra had hired several cars while holidaying, but did not know if one had driven Leslie to the party. "He [Anindra] said that 'I was introduced to so many people, one of them was probably Leslie'." "Anindra doesn't remember when and where he was introduced to this group of people. (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/Mark Forbes/9 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/i-probably-met-leslie-bakrie-says/2005/11/09/1131407700664.html

Police Delay Bali Nine Trial

THE trial of Bali Nine accused Martin Stephens was yesterday adjourned to November 16 after three Indonesian policemen did not turn up to give evidence. Stephens, 29, of Wollongong, like all his co-accused, could face a firing squad if found guilty of heroin trafficking. It was not clear why the officers failed to appear at the Denpasar District Court.

Source; Herald Sun/10 November 2005/ http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17193610%255E663,00.html

Charges Against Bali 9 To Stand

AN Indonesian court today threw out a defence bid to have all charges dropped against Bali Nine defendant Scott Rush, clearing the way for prosecutors to start calling witnesses in his trial. Mr Rush, dressed in black pants and a white shirt with a wooden crucifix around his neck, sat politely and impassively as chief judge I Made Sudia ruled that the charges of conspiring to export 8.3kg of heroin from Bali to Australia in April were valid. His parents Lee and Christine watched on from the front row of the public gallery of the Denpasar District Court. Last week the defence argued the court did not have jurisdiction to hear the case and that Mr Rush should not have been charged with laws on organised crime or exporting drugs that carry the death penalty. His lawyers said he had only been a courier and had been arrested at Bali airport before he had exported anything from Indonesia. However, the panel of three judges upheld the prosecution's indictment against the 19-year-old Brisbane labourer. "We refuse the objection submitted by the defendant," Mr Sudia said. "According to Indonesian law, if an act has been done by several people in pursuit of one goal, that's organised crime. "In this case, police found Scott Rush and eight others had the same goal: to export drugs to Australia." Mr Sudia cited alleged planning meetings among members of the group in Australia and the coordinated funding of the alleged smuggling attempt. (continued)

Source: News.com/Marian Carroll/10 November 2005/ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17201941-421,00.html

Cover-Up Allegation In Leslie Drug Case

THE car that Australian model Michelle Leslie had travelled in the night she was arrested by Bali police with two ecstasy tablets was hired by a prominent Indonesian family that has tried to distance itself from her case. Indonesian Economics Minister Aburizal Bakrie, a powerful businessman with large news media interests, this week denied suggestions that any of his three children were with Ms Leslie when she was arrested at a dance party on August 20. Bali police have also denied any Bakrie-related cover-up. However, The Australian has verified that the car was rented on August 13 via the Bakries' major business holding in Bali, the Bali Nirwana Resort. Statements to police by Ms Leslie and the driver suggest there were at least two others in the car. Mr Bakrie's youngest son, Anindra Ardiansya Bakrie, arrived in Bali from Jakarta on August 12 with several friends and hired at least two cars for his personal use during his three weeks on the island, family lawyer Aji Wijaya said. Mr Aji said it was possible the car Ms Leslie had travelled in the night she was arrested was one of them, "because usually when Ardi rents a car, he often offers it to his friends to use". Ms Leslie was staying at the nearby Villa Ananda hotel, and the silver Toyota was returned to the hire firm hours after her arrest, records show. Contrary to claims made in some news reports, the car does not bear the Bakrie resort's livery. (continued)

Source: The Mercury/Stephen Fitzpatrick/11 November 2005/ http://www.themercury.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17208393%255E401,00.html

Fear Stifled Truth, Says Drug-Accused Model

The imprisoned model Michelle Leslie says she is "absolutely terrified", and has suggested threats have been made against her if she tells the truth about being arrested in Bali with two ecstasy tablets. She made the claims after the final day of evidence in her court hearing, which raised more questions than it answered over the increasingly controversial and bizarre case. The prosecutor, Risman Tarihoran, indicated that Leslie's positive blood and urine tests to ecstasy would result in her escaping a drug possession charge carrying a 15-year jail term, because it proved she was a drug user. He indicated he would request that Leslie be sentenced under an alternative charge with a maximum three-month term. During the hearing Leslie pleaded for mercy from the court and apologised to the people of Indonesia for causing trouble in their country. Under oath, Leslie said she became frightened during a police check outside a Bali dance party in August after a friend, Mia, spoke to unidentified men accompanying them to the event. Leslie said she was warned "not to tell anything" and if there were any problems they would "fix it". Leslie told the court the tablets found in her bag had been bought by Mia as a substitute for Ritalin medication, but she carried them to a dance party without asking what they contained. A psychiatrist, Denny Thong, told the court that Leslie told him she had used ecstasy for six years, describing her as an "occasional user". (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/Mark Forbes/11 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/fear-stifled-truth-says-drugaccused-model/2005/11/11/1131578238205.html

Lawrence's Lawyer Has A Heroin Taste Test

Renae Lawrence had seen them before, and looked for all the world as if she never wanted to see them again. But there they were - three solid packets of heroin - and her flamboyant defence lawyer was not going to let the moment pass without a flourish. "How do we know this is heroin?" Yan Apul asked in Denpasar District Court yesterday as the packages were laid out on the judges' bench. To which one of Lawrence's prosecutors said jokingly: "I don't know. I've never used drugs." So, with six lawyers, three judges and Lawrence herself looking on, Mr Apul picked up one of the packages and sampled the evidence - just a touch, on his tongue. "Is he tasting it?" said Lawrence to her translator, a look of disbelief on her face. He was. "It's bitter, it's spicy," Mr Apul declared. The judges laughed heartily, and so did the prosecutors. One who didn't laugh, of course, was Lawrence, who knows that those three packages could at worst land her before a firing squad, and at best see her locked away for a long time. Yesterday marked the first day of proper testimony in her trial. One thing was obvious from the start: she, like several of her co-accused, will point to Andrew Chan as the man who made them do it. Lawrence had named Chan "without hesitation" as the boss of the operation, according to the policewoman who searched her. (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/Neil McMahon/11 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/lawrences-lawyer-has-a-heroin-taste-test/2005/11/11/1131578238199.html

Leslie Back In Court, Hoping To Be Freed

Australian model Michelle Leslie appears in a Bali court on Tuesday hoping to be free by late next week. Family friend Sean Mulcahy says Leslie is happy the prosecution is dropping demands for a maximum 15-year prison term and will instead seek only a three-month penalty for drug possession. They are expected to formally change their sentencing demand when she appears in the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday morning. The model will have served three months behind bars by the end of this week. Leslie, 24, was arrested outside a Kuta rave party on August 20 after police allegedly found two pink ecstasy pills wrapped in tissue paper inside in her designer handbag. "We'll still be pushing for an acquittal," Mulcahy told AAP. "But we're confident that the (three months) will come through. "At the end of the day the worst case scenario is that she should be free and out of here by the end of next week." Also in court on Tuesday for his heroin smuggling trial will be Bali Nine defendant Michael Czugaj, 19, of Brisbane.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/14 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Leslie-back-in-court-hoping-to-be-freed/2005/11/14/1131951092875.html

Leslie Could Be Free By Next Week

Australian model Michelle Leslie could be released from a Bali jail by the end of next week if she is found guilty on drugs charges, although her lawyers still hope she will be exonerated. Her trial resumes at the Denpasar District Court tomorrow. Family friend Sean Mulcahy said Leslie had been buoyed by a prosecution decision to drop demands for a maximum 15-year prison term and instead seek only a three-month penalty. The model will have served three months behind bars by the end of this week. Leslie, 24, was arrested outside a Kuta rave party on August 20 after police allegedly found two pink ecstasy pills wrapped in tissue paper inside in her designer handbag. "We'll still be pushing for an acquittal," Mulcahy told AAP. "But we're confident that the (three months) will come through. "At the end of the day the worst case scenario is that she should be free and out of here by the end of next week." Mulcahy said the defence team would have a clearer idea tomorrow after prosecutors made their formal sentence request to the three judges hearing the case. After Leslie took the witness chair last week to issue an apology for her arrest and plead for mercy, chief prosecutor Risman Tarihoran said he would request only a three-month sentence when the court resumed. "The ecstasy hasn't been consumed," Tarihoran said. "She was only a user. She only received the drugs." (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/14 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/leslie-could-be-free-by-next-week/2005/11/14/1131951093265.html

Model's Mercy Plea Rules Out Long Jail Term

FREEDOM could be just weeks away for Adelaide model Michelle Leslie after Indonesian prosecutors dropped demands she face a long prison term. The surprise turnaround yesterday came after Leslie apologised and pleaded for mercy at her Bali drugs trial, which heard she had admitted occasionally taking ecstasy. After Leslie's remorseful testimony, state lawyers said they would now seek only a minimum sentence of three months - a period she has almost served since her arrest outside a Bali dance party on August 20. Originally they had demanded she be locked up for the maximum term of 15 years for possession of two ecstasy tablets. The trial resumes at the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday and Leslie could be freed soon after that. "The ecstasy wasn't consumed," Chief prosecutor Risman Tarihoran said. "She is only a user. She only received the drugs." Speaking from the witness chair, Leslie yesterday said she had not known the two pills in her handbag on the night of her arrest were ecstasy. She said the pills had been given to her by a friend named Mia who had told her they were medicine for anxiety attacks. The 24-year-old said she had been stunned when police opened her Gucci handbag and found that the two pink tablets wrapped in tissue paper were the party drug. Leslie told the three-judge bench that she was "very disappointed" her friend of two years, Mia, and several others who had been in her car had not shown up to help defend her. (continued)

Source: The Advertiser/ROB TAYLOR/12 November 2005/ http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17218981%255E910,00.html

Police 'Almost Forgot' To Nab Bali 9

INDONESIAN police almost forgot to nab alleged drug kingpin Andrew Chan when they arrested other Bali Nine members at the island's airport, a Bali court was told today. In testimony at the trial of Renae Lawrence of Newcastle, officer Wayan Suita said that after arresting four accused drug mules, including Ms Lawrence, in the departure lounge police started leaving the airport. "But we realised we were missing one other person. And, my colleague rang me and said 'You have to find Andrew Chan because he's the boss, he's the most important person'," Suita said. Mr Chan was arrested after he had already boarded a plane bound for Australia. Airport police officer Made Sutarmi, who searched Ms Lawrence's body when she was arrested, said she identified Mr Chan as the owner of the drugs when questioned by another officer. The bungle almost happened even though Mr Chan had been identified as the coordinator of the alleged smuggling attempt in a letter from the Australian Federal Police to Indonesian authorities nine days earlier. Meanwhile, the Denpasar District Court broke into in muffled laughter as Ms Lawrence's defence lawyer tasted the heroin she had alleged tried to smuggle. As 28-year-old Ms Lawrence looked on aghast, the trial's three judges appeared bemused when lawyer Yan Apul accepted a prosecution invitation to taste the heroin wrapped in plastic bags to confirm it was real. "How do you know this is heroin?" Mr Apul asked prosecutor Putu Indriati. (continued)

Source: Courier Mail/Marian Carroll/11 November 2005/ http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,17215423%255E1702,00.html

Indonesia Nets Europeans In Drugs Factory Raid

Indonesian police have detained 21 people including a French and a Dutch national after raiding a factory making ecstasy pills and methamphetamines that officers yesterday said was a "mega superlab". Anti-narcotics officers raided the factory on Friday near the city of Serang, 75 km (45 miles) west of Jakarta. "Can you imagine, in one week they could produce one million pills or tablets," an angry looking President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said during a visit to the plant, which was licensed as a cable factory. Yudhoyono, who has declared war on drugs, told reporters the factory had the capacity to produce drugs with a potential street value of up to $600m a year. Apart from the European men, a number of Chinese nationals and Indonesians were also detained, police said. Twelve people were detained at the factory and the rest at a warehouse. Police chief General Sutanto and other officers earlier said said it was third biggest ecstasy making factory in the world. Asked later by reporters about those comments, Sutanto said foreign anti-drug officials had called it a "mega superlab". Western drug officials were later seen at the plant, and some Indonesian police said they were either from the United States or Australia. The plant had been under surveillance since May, but police said they waited until production began before moving in. The official Antara news agency said police had seized 62.4 tonnes of raw materials for making methamphetamines and 6.7 tonnes for making ecstasy pills. (continued)

Source: The Peninsula/Reuters/13 November 2005/ http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Rest+of+the+World&month=November2005&file=World_News2005111332825.xml

Indonesia Raids One Of World's Largest Ecstasy Factories

Indonesian police raided an ecstasy factory in West Java thought to be one of the largest in the world and capable of making millions of pills a month, local media reported Saturday. Some 14 suspects, including one Dutch, one French and four Chinese nationals, were arrested after police stormed the factory Friday night and seized equipment and massive amounts of chemicals used for the production of the illegal party drug. ``The materials consist of 62.4 tons of chemicals for making methamphetamine and another 6.7 tons for making ecstasy pills,`` General Sutanto was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency Antara. Police confiscated thousands of ecstasy pills and hundreds of kilogrammes of methamphetamine ready for delivery to Hong Kong, he said. The factory in Serang district, 80 kilometres east of Jakarta, was able to produce some 100 kilogrammes of ecstasy per week, which could be used to make about 1 million pills, police said. The former cable factory had been under surveillance since May after a tip-off from Chinese authorities that a machine used to make ecstasy had been delivered from China to Indonesia, Indradi Tanos, a chief with Indonesia's anti-drug police, told Kompas newspaper. Authorities said the factory, on 4,000 hectares of land, was capable of earning some 100 billion rupiah (about 10 million dollars) a week, and said it was thought to be the third largest factory in the world after ones uncovered in Fiji and China.

Source: Bangkok Post/11 November 2005/ http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=61626

I'll Tell Truth On Drugs: Leslie

MICHELLE Leslie will "tell the truth" about her arrest on drugs charges when she is released from a Balinese prison, her Australian lawyer has promised. The 24-year-old underwear model's ordeal appears almost over, with prosecutors at Denpasar District Court yesterday dropping their demand that she be jailed for up to 15 years for drug possession. They said instead that the "most appropriate" charge was one of drug use, carrying a maximum three-month sentence, time she has already served. Ms Leslie was arrested on August 20 outside a Bali dance party with two ecstasy pills in her handbag. Blood and urine tests proved positive to the designer drug. Judges will most likely deliver their verdict on Friday. Her Australian minders, led by lawyer Ross Hill, are expected to try to whisk her out of Indonesia shortly afterwards, possibly via a third country. The Leslie camp is known to be shopping around for an Australian media buyer for her story - a story which contains inconsistencies, allegations of cover-ups, unnamed people in positions of power and one named person who cannot be found: Mia, the alleged procurer of the two pink ecstasy pills as a replacement for Ms Leslie's anti-anxiety medication. Mia was last night revealed as Siti Namira Asman from Singapore. "She will tell the truth about what happened when the time comes," Mr Hill said yesterday. (continued)

Source: The Australian/Stephen Fitzpatrick/16 November 2005/ http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17262417%255E2702,00.html

Australian On Trial In Borneo Over Drugs

An Australian mine worker arrested in Indonesia for allegedly using methamphetamine will find out in a fortnight whether Indonesian prosecutors will demand he spend the next five years in jail. John Michael Kelly, 45, from Warwick on Queensland's Darling Downs, was arrested in September in Sangatta, East Kalimantan on Borneo, after a tip-off by hotel security guards. He faces a maximum five-year jail term after police allegedly found him smoking crystal meth, known in Indonesia as shabu shabu, in his hotel room. In his trial opener on Monday in the Sangatta District Court a panel of three judges heard from police, security officers and a local woman named Erna, who was in the room with Kelly. The trial was adjourned until November 28. "We will now wait for two weeks for the sentence request," prosecutor Waluyo Heryawan told AAP without revealing what penalty he would ask for. Court clerk Gunarso said Kelly spoke occasional Indonesian during the hearing, even though he had a translator on hand. There was no one present from the Australian embassy, although there several local onlookers. "He looked comfortable and the trial went smoothly," Gunarso said. He said Kelly was facing only one charge using article 62 of Indonesia's psychotropic drug laws, which carried a maximum five-year sentence and 100,000 rupiah ($A13,700) fine. The chief detective of local police, Captain Anjas Gautama Putra, told AAP police seized 0.5g of crystal methamphetamine after raiding Kelly's room at the Hotel Amar. (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/15 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Australian-on-trial-in-Borneo-over-drugs/2005/11/15/1132016790107.html

Bali Nine Trials Continue

The Bali Nine trials are back in court on Wednesday with three defendants known as the Melasti Hotel Three appearing together. Brisbane man Tach Duc Nguyen, 27, Si Yen Chen, 20, of Sydney, and Matthew James Norman, 18, of Sydney, were arrested on April 17 at the hotel at Kuta Beach. Wollongong man Martin Stephens, 29, will also be at the Denpasar District Court for a separate hearing.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/15 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Bali-Nine-partied-before-arrests-court/2005/11/15/1132016788816.html

Leslie Verdict On Friday

Australian model Michelle Leslie plans to reveal ``the truth'' about her ecstasy arrest once she released from a Bali jail probably within days. Her Australian lawyer Ross Hill said Leslie was anxious to set the record straight about her case amid claims of a cover-up over reports that she had been with the son of a senior Indonesian cabinet minister on the night she was nabbed. Prosecutors today formally asked the trial's three judges to impose a minimal prison term of three months - a period Leslie has already served since her arrest on August 20 outside a Bali dance party. The Denpasar District Court will announce its verdict on Friday. Convicted or acquitted, her lawyers expect her to be on a plane out of Indonesia by Monday. Hill today refused to say whether she would go straight home to Australia. ``We'll have her on a flight. She'll be gone from Bali,'' he said. But he said the matter was up to judges, who could still theoretically impose a tougher sentence. Indonesian police have been accused of attempting to cover up the presence in her car of a son of millionaire Economics Minister Aburizal Bakrie - a story denounced as ``rubbish'' by the powerful Bakrie family. Hill did not comment on the claims, but said the facts of Leslie's arrest had not come out during her trial. He said crucial evidence from unnamed potential witnesses in the car had not been heard ``for reasons that have never been explained to anyone''. (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/15 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/leslie-to-reveal-truth-on-release/2005/11/15/1132016779233.html

Michelle Leslie Only Receives Three-Month Jail Sentence

Michelle Leslie, 24, an Australian model who was involved in a drug case in Bali received three-months imprisonment at a trial held at the Denpasar District Court on Tuesday (15/11). Public Prosecutor Risman Torihoran said that Leslie had only used the drugs rather than having owned the evidence found on her. It was not proved that Leslie had owned the two ecstasy pills found in her bag, because witnesses in the court attested to the fact that they saw Leslie receive the evidence from a girl named Mia. Mia as Leslie’s friend is a mysterious figure and is only mentioned briefly in the accusation, while the police are still pursuing her. The three witnesses who said they saw Mia giving ecstasy to Leslie were not present in the court. They are Leslie’s friends, Nicola and Gustav, and Andre Wuisan, a chauffeur who drove their car. “The defendant was proven of having violated Article 60 sub-section 5 of Law No.5/1997,” said the public prosecutor. Meanwhile, the primary charge of Article 59 sub-section 1 letter e of Law No.5/1997 on psychotropics was not proved. Leslie was arrested by Bali Police on August 20, 2005, when the police conducted a drug raid in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana area. She was arrested as she was going to attend a party with some of her friends. The police found two ecstasy pills in her bag.

Source: Tempo Interactive/Rofiqi Hasan/15 November 2005/ http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2005/11/15/brk,20051115-69237,uk.html

Optimistic Leslie Arrives At Court

AUSTRALIAN model Michelle Leslie arrived at a Bali court today optimistic she would be free soon – even if she were found guilty of ecstasy possession. Her defence lawyers are pushing for an acquittal. But even if they fail, she could be out quickly. Indonesian prosecutors today plan to formally drop their original demands for a maximum 15-year prison term. Instead they will seek only a three-month penalty for the Adelaide-born 24-year-old who arrived at the Denpasar District Court in handcuffs. The model will have served three months behind bars by the end of this week. So it is likely she will be freed anytime after that. Leslie was arrested outside a Kuta rave party on August 20. Police allegedly found two pink ecstasy pills wrapped in tissue paper inside in her designer handbag. Also in court today for his heroin smuggling trial is Bali Nine defendant Michael Czugaj, 19, of Brisbane.

Source: News.com/15 November 2005/ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17253288-29277,00.html

Prosecutors Drop Main Charge Against Leslie

The main charge against Australian model Michelle Leslie, allegedly caught with the party drug ecstasy, has been dropped by Indonesian prosecutors. The decision means she will do little jail time if convicted. Prosecutors on Indonesia's resort island of Bali said they were dropping that charge to use an alternate one which carries a maximum three-month term for receiving ecstasy as a user. Leslie had faced a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail for ecstasy possession. "The defendant Michelle Leslie has been proven legally and convincingly guilty of committing ... offences as a user," state prosecutor Risman Tarihoran told the court in requesting the three-month term be imposed. Mr Tarihoran said the main charge was dropped because Leslie's case did not properly fit the definition of possession under Indonesian law. He did not elaborate, but possession carries a tougher term because it applies to recreational use. Prosecutors also pointed to her politeness in court and the fact that she had expressed remorse.The judge adjourned the trial until Friday. If the Denpasar District Court judge accepts the sentence recommendation, the 24-year-old model could be out of prison by the end of next week, taking into consideration time already served.Being a user can mean people might need prescription drugs to treat medical conditions but a penalty is applied if they are obtained illegally. Leslie's lawyer, Christo Dugis, said his client had a letter from a doctor in Australia that said she needed to take psychoactive drugs. (continued)

Source: ABC News Online/Reuters/15 November 2005/ http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200511/s1507312.htm

A Factory Of Shame

Over a long period in a hamlet in Tangerang, Banten, workers have quietly churned out illegal drugs in a factory licensed to produce cables, seemingly without disruption, until fish in a nearby stream died, from red and yellow substances dumped into the water it was surmised. The substances were later found to be derivatives of the processing of amphetamines and other drugs, confirming the police's earlier suspicion, which led to the raid on Sunday, a raid said to be among the most important in police operations so far, given the factory's capacity to produce a million ecstasy pills a week worth Rp 100 billion (about US$10 million). The war against any business profiting from addiction is a slow one, and it is fitting that we congratulate the police for finally busting what appears to be part of yet another international operation on our soil. From time to time we have received reports of the arrests of suspected drug dealers, several of whom have been tried and convicted. But the police know well that they are far from reaching the roots of the huge tentacle that forms the drug syndicates, even though a few of those arrests involved suspected operatives of those syndicates. What was more surprising about the raid on Sunday, however, was that the local police in the entire district of Jatiuwung -- about 100 kilometers west of the capital -- claimed ignorance of the factory and its actual operation involving among others Chinese, French and Dutch nationals. (continued)

Source: Jakarta Post/16 November 2005/ http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20051115.E01&irec=0

Lao PDR

Officers On Alert To Foil Planned Trafficking Of Large-Scale Drugs

Thai Police in this northernmost province have tightened their patrol following intelligence reports that several million speed pills from Laos and Myanmar will be smuggled into Thailand during the upcoming Loy Krathong festival. Tourists entering or leaving for Myanmar and Laos from this province are being watched closely by police to prevent drug traffickers--disguised as tourists--from smuggling drugs into the country, police said. The tightening of patrols along the border and setting up more road checkpoints came after Chiang Rai police apprehended major drug traffickers and seized more than 300,000 speed pills during the past month. Police said several million speed pills are now waiting to be smuggled into Thailand from Myanmar and Laos for the Loy Krathong festival, as the seasonal rain had stopped and it is now easier to smuggle drugs. Pol. Lt. Gen. Krissana Polanant, Secretary General of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, while inspecting drug trafficking routes along the border in Chiang Rai recently said that there are at least five drug manufacturing plants established near the common border.

Source: MCOT/15 November 2005/

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=4390

Malaysia

Driver With 12 Offences On Drugs Charge

A motorist who was issued 12 traffic summonses for offences committed in less than 35 minutes last Sunday was charged with another man in a Magistrate’s court here with a drug offence. Tengku Mohamad Hanafiah Che Engku Abdul Ghani, 30, and his friend Tuan Mohamed Nazai Tuan A. Bakar, 25, were charged with using methamphetamine at the Hulu Terengganu police headquarters at 6.20am last Sunday. No plea was recorded. Magistrate Engku Ahmad Rashdi Engku Abdillah allowed them bail of RM1,000 each and fixed Dec 17 for mention of the case. The two were charged under section 15 (1) (a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952 which carries a maximum RM5,000 fine or two years' jail. Deputy public prosecutor Tuan Rosnah Tuan Hussin appeared for the prosecution. The two were rearrested immediately after their release. State CID chief ACP Lim Char Boo confirmed that they were detained for investigation under Section 353 of the Penal Code for allegedly obstructing a public officer from discharging his duties. Hulu Terengganu OCPD DSP Kamaruddin Mohamed Zakaria told reporters that Tengku Mohamad Hanafiah would be charged soon under the Road Transport Act for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

Source: The Star/Bernama/10 November 2005/ http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/10/courts/12552522&sec=courts

Drugs Bust Nets Mum In Confinement

A family of five, including a mother still in confinement, was detained by police who found more than 300g of cannabis in their house in Jalan Gambang here. Acting state narcotics department chief Asst Supt S. Xavier said those detained on Wednesday were a couple, two of their daughters and a nephew. He added that the couple had eight children. “Based on a tip-off, a team raided a house in Kampung Belukar here about 9.30pm and found 380g of cannabis in a kitchen cabinet. “The man, 48, and his 26-year-old nephew were in the kitchen at that time,” ASP Xavier said yesterday. He added that the man was an ex-convict and while his nephew had three previous convictions. ASP Xavier said all five were being held for questioning under the Dangerous Drug Act. It was learnt that the man's 40-year-old wife gave birth 15 days ago.

Source: The Star/11 November 2005/ http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/11/11/nation/12562512&sec=nation

No Money For Drugs, So Kudat Youth Assaults Mum

A 17-year-old spent a night in the lock-up after he was detained for assaulting his mother on Tuesday. Acting District Police Chief, ASP Tan Yong Soon, said the incident occurred at their Kg Tanjong Kapor home, here, when the mother refused to give the suspect the money he asked for, believed for drugs. He said the boy, believed to be a drug addict, had regularly threatened his mother for money previously but never laid a finger on her when she refused. The suspect was apprehended by his elder brother, who brought him to the police station, after spotting him assaulting their mother at about 3.30pm, he said. He added the boy tested negative to drugs but admitted to having taken drugs several days before. He was released the next day.

Source: Daily Express/10 November 2005/ http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=38275

Using Methadone To Kick Drug Habit

One in two hardcore drug addicts will return to society a clean person within six months of treatment. This is the promise of liquid methadone, a substitute therapy to help them kick the habit. And in the next five years, some 50,000 hardcore drug addicts who are now using needles and syringes to inject themselves with heroin or morphine four to five times a day, would have been put on liquid methadone. Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek is confident that this treatment will yield a success rate of at least 60 per cent. The cost is RM380 per addict per month compared to RM480 if they are placed in Pusat Serenti and other rehabilitation centres. An estimated 100,000 hardcore drug addicts are now taking drugs intravenously. "With methadone treatment, we hope to see many addicts returning to society free of drugs within six months," Dr Chua said. He hoped there would be jobs for them so that they could lead a decent life with the help and moral support of their families and the community. At present, 1,200 hardcore addicts are undergoing treatment with methadone on a pilot project. They are mostly from Pusat Serenti as well as volunteers. Dr Chua said the project launched last month was proceeding well. The 1,200 addicts were being treated at selected public and private hospitals and clinics nationwide, he added. (continued)

Source: New Straits Times/Annie Freeda Cruez/10 November 2005/ http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/NST40773522.txt/Article/indexb_html

Two Arrested, Rm30,000 Pills Seized

Police arrested two local men and seized a host of drug pills worth about RM30,000 Friday. Altogether, police seized over 200 Remin-5 tablets, 325 ecstasy pills and 20 packets of ketamin from the suspects. Acting City Police Chief, Supt Wong Chong Fooi, said acting on a tip-off, a team from the City Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department detained the first suspect, a 25-year-old, near a five-star hotel at 1am. The man had 10 packets containing ketamin weighing about 10gm and later seized seven cannabis sticks when he led the team to his house along Jalan Bundusan. "Based on the information obtained from the suspect, police hauled in another man in his 20s from a popular karaoke lounge near Penampang and found 30 Remin-5 tablets on him," he said. Another 10 packets of ketamin were found in his car parked inside the establishment's grounds. The man then led the raiding team to his family house at Luyang where they found the ecstasy pills and 200 Remin-5 tablets. The suspects are being remanded for investigations under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952.

Source: Daily Express/12 November 2005/ http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=38318

Attempts To Produce Stimulant Drugs In M'sia Foiled

Malaysia has foiled attempts by international drug syndicates to produce stimulant drugs in the country for local consumption, National Anti-Dadah Agency (AADK) Director-General Datuk Hamzah Abdullah revealed Tuesday. AADK with the help of the police managed to nip in the bud the distribution of such drugs locally, he said. "Malaysia is a transit point for international drug syndicates and their initial attempts to produce stimulant drugs in Semenyih recently were crippled," he told reporters when opening the agency's new office here. He said such types of drugs were brought into the country via syndicates operating between Holland and China for distribution to neighbouring countries. Hamzah said stimulant drugs comparatively were easier to produce from concoctions of chemical substances and the AADK was going all out to prevent Malaysia from being a production centre. Hamzah said addiction to stimulant drugs was growing with 20 per cent of the 22,000 drug addicts detected in the country being hooked on such drugs. "Their number has grown compared to four per cent last year. The highest number of addiction to such drugs was detected in Papar in Sabah where almost all of drug addicts were dependent on them," he said. The AADK boss said drug addiction appeared to have spread even to some of the highly educated, including PhD holders and Masters' graduates in science, technology and aeronautical engineering. (continued)

Source: Bernama/15 November 2005/

http://www.bernama.com/

Syabu Abuse 'Serious' In Silam, Kunak, LD

Sabah Umno Youth Information Chief, Salleh Kalbi, said the drug addiction problem among local youths had become increasingly serious in the State. More alarming was the increasing number of students indulging in drug activities, he added. He said according to the National Narcotics Agency, the most notable kind of drug taken is Syabu (methampethamine), being widely used in the Silam area, involving Kunak and Lahad Datu. Salleh said this while officiating at the recent mini convocation ceremony of the Kunak district Kemas kindergartens, at the community centre here. He later presented certificates to 236 pre-schoolers representing six kindergartens from Cenderawasih, Getah, Kunak Jaya, Bagiang, Kunak Tiga and IPD Kunak. He said the anti-dadah enforcement agencies should not be pointed the accusing finger, as all quarters, including parents, should feel obliged to help stem out the scourge. Parents should monitor their children's movements and provide the necessary guidance towards their studies and character development, he said. He pointed out that poverty should not be used as a yardstick to stop their children from going to school, leaving the youngsters to resort to unhealthy habits for the lack of education. Education is an asset that could help mould the future prospects of the younger generation, he said.

Source: Daily Express/15 November 2005/ http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=38389

Myanmar

Tough On Drugs, Soft On Drug Lords

Singapore's tough stand on drug traffickers is at odds with its own economic relationship with a Myanmar drug lord, according to Singapore's leading opposition figure, Dr Chee Soon Juan. "If the Government really wanted to eradicate or even minimise the problem, it would not be in bed with drug barons holed up and operating freely in Myanmar," he told a forum in Singapore. The forum was held to highlight the plight of Nguyen Tuong Van, the Melbourne man convicted of trafficking heroin who exhausted all his legal options of appeal when in Singapore's President, S. R. Nathan, rejected his appeal for clemency. Nguyen was convicted of trafficking 396 grams of heroin, which probably came from Myanmar's golden triangle, and will be hanged within weeks. Singapore's Foreign Minister, George Yeo, last week defended the decision to hang Nguyen, saying "due to the seriousness of the offence and the need to hold firm our national position against drug trafficking, we are unable to change our decision". Myanmar and Singapore have close economic relations. In Myanmar when you use a Visa credit card, the charge is made in Singapore dollars. Dr Chee challenged the Government's right to assume the high moral ground. He cited the Singapore Government Investment Corporation's 1990s investment in the Myanmar Fund, controlled by Lo Hsing Han, one of Myanmar's most notorious drug lords, through his Asia World Company. Lo's son, Stephen Law, is married to a Singaporean and lives in Singapore. (continued)

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/Connie Levett/9 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/tough-on-drugs-soft-on-drug-lords/2005/11/08/1131407638823.html

Officers On Alert To Foil Planned Trafficking Of Large-Scale Drugs

Source: MCOT/15 November 2005/

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=4390

Philippines

Bicol ‘Cop’ Arrested For Transporting Shabu

An alleged policeman doubling as suspected drug dealer was arrested by antinarcotics agents for transporting five grams of shabu at Kilomer-4, La Trinidad, Benguet, late Monday afternoon. Supt. Danilo Flordeliza, director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, said the suspect, identified himself as Engelbert Bartolome, 34, married and claimed to be a police officer assigned in the Bicol region. Flordeliza reported that his office is verifying if Bartolome is indeed a policeman, who later has been a subject of long-time surveillance owing to his alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade. Bartolome was arrested after PDEA agents planned an operation after receiving a tip from an informant that the suspect will deliver shabu to a prospective female buyer in La Trinidad, identified only as Elvie. The anti-illegal drugs operation turned successful with the recovery of five grams of shabu from Bartolome. It was not immediately known if the suspect resisted arrest. Criminal charges for violation of Republic Act 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, was reportedly filed against the suspect. Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police has supported the mandatory drug test to all policemen nationwide to get rid the department of policemen using illegal drugs.

Source: Manila Times/Thomas Picaña/10 November 2005/ http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/nov/10/yehey/prov/20051110pro9.html

'Ex-Cop' Arrested For 'Sale Of Shabu'

A FORMER policeman was arrested by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) for allegedly handing down a still undetermined quantity of shabu to an undercover policeman in an entrapment operation in La Trinidad, Benguet, police said Wednesday. Superintendent Danilo Flordeliza, PDEA director for the Cordillera region, identified the suspect as Engelbert Marcos Bartolome, 34, a former member of the Cordillera police. Flordeliza said the suspect's arrest was a result of a month-long surveillance operation as regards his alleged drug pushing activities not only in the town but also in Baguio City. Confiscated from Bartolome's possession was a medium-sized clear plastic sachet containing a white crystalline substance that later tested positive of being shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride. Flordeliza said they were verifying whether the suspect was still in the police's active roster as of press time since the identification card found in his possession expired last year. Although the confiscated drug already tested positive of being shabu in a field reagent examination, it was turned over to the PNP Crime Laboratory Regional Office at the Camp Bado Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet for a more thorough chemical analysis.

Source: Sun Star/Ernie N. Olson Jr/10 November 2005/ http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/bag/2005/11/10/news/.ex.cop.arrested.for.sale.of.shabu..html

Illegal Drug Angle Eyed In Attack

POLICE investigators have not ruled out the illegal drug angle in the shooting of a man and a woman midnight Sunday by two unidentified men riding a motorcycle in Chico, Barangay Looc, Dumaguete City. The victims--Walter Adarna, 33, married, of Judyville Subdivision in Sibulan, Negros Oriental and Raniely Agripalo, 21, single of Purok Gumamela, Canday-ong--were hit on the thigh and buttock respectively but managed to survive the attack. Both are still recuperating at Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital. Adarna and Agripaldo told investigators that before the incident they were talking on the side of a street. But as Agripaldo was buying cigarettes from a nearby store, a motorcycle with two masked riders appeared. Agripaldo said she was handing one cigarette stick to Adarna when she heard a shot that hit her companion on the thigh. Realizing that they were the targets the woman attempted to hide but the assailants again fired hitting her right buttock. After the attack the, two men sped away. Adarna was one of 19 people arrested in an illegal drug raid also in Looc last month.

Source: Sun Star/Syril G. Repe/10 November 2005/ http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2005/11/10/news/illegal.drug.angle.eyed.in.attack.html

Man Nabbed In Illegal Drug Bust

A 19-year-old man has been charged with illegal drug trafficking following his arrest Monday morning and subsequent detention in a buy-bust operation in Barangay Calindagan by agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in the province. Facing charges was one Gerbe Azucenas of Purok Orchids, Calindagan. The suspect likewise refused to name his supplier. Recovered from the suspect were three matchboxes filled with dried marijuana leaves, a lighter, rolling paper, P150 believed to be his illegal sales, and the P100 bill buy bust money. PDEA chief SPO1 Manuel Sanchez said the operation followed reports of extensive trafficking of marijuana in the area. The suspect was collared after handing over the banned substance to a civilian agent. Azucena according to the PDEA chief was not included in their watch list and that he had just learned from the Philippine National Police (PNP) that the suspect had a previous arrest record for illegal drug offense.

Source: Sun Star/Adrian Sedillo and Hermie Tresquio/10 November 2005/ http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/dum/2005/11/10/news/man.nabbed.in.illegal.drug.bust..html

MILF Spokesman’s Brod Killed In Drug Bust; Another Kin Nabbed

Kabalu says sibling never dealt in drugs The Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday confirmed reports that its operatives have killed the younger brother of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) spokesman Eid Kabalu and detained another kin during a drug buy-bust in Cotabato City last Monday. Reports received at the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City said that agents of the Special Operations Group (SOG) trapped Abdul Bayan Kabalu, who allegedly has been hiding from police, and two of his suspected cohorts at a hideout in Bagua Dos Village at around 4:30 p.m. Monday. Chief Supt. Danilo Mangila, Central Mindanao police director, said Abdul was wanted for drug charges. He reportedly fired his pistol at policemen trying to arrest him, which prompted the lawmen to fire back. Mangila said that Kabalu’s nephew, Mustafa Kabalu was arrested in the operation. The third suspect identified as Sonny Catambac, a convict, managed to escape from the arresting police team. The police officer confirmed all the three suspects have standing warrants of arrest for drug trafficking. Mangila said that the suspects have been complained of by residents in the area for allegedly selling shabu. Recovered from the suspects’ hideout were undetermined amount of methamphetamine hydrochloride or "shabu." MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied that his younger brother was involved in the illegal drugs trade. "The reports are sketchy. It could be a case of mistaken identity," he said. "He (Abdul) has no record of involvement in drug trafficking." (continued)

Source: Manila Bulletin/ARIS ILAGAN/10 November 2005/ http://www.mb.com.ph/PROV2005111048792.html

Man Collared For Trying To Sell Half-Kilo Of Shabu

OFFICIALS of the Manila Police District announced on Thursday the arrest of a suspected drug trafficker for trying to sell half a kilo of shabu to an undercover man in a buy-bust in Malate, Manila. Chief Supt. Pedro Bulaong, MPD director, identified the suspect as the “businessman” Peter Tioseco Mendoza, 37, a Chinese Filipino of 512 Boni Serrano Avenue, Mandaluyong City. He was arrested on November 4, at the corner of Zobel Roxas and Dian streets, Makati, while trying to close a P750,000 deal involving 505 grams of shabu drug to a “buyer.” Supt. Rodolfo Llorca, head of the MPD antiillegal drugs unit, said a background check on the suspect disclosed Mendoza was involved in several deliveries of high-grade shabu to several buyers in Manila. Police informers said Mendoza was responsible for the rise of shabu trading in Manila, particularly in Malate. Manila Prosecutor John Erick Flordeliza recommended no bail for Mendoza’s release, who was charged with violating the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Source: Manila Times/Jonathan Vicente/11 November 2005/ http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/nov/11/yehey/metro/20051111met7.html

Cotabato City Has 6 Drug Labs

A REGIONAL health official last week confirmed the presence of at least six illegal drug laboratories in Cotabato City. This was revealed last week by Rogelio Chua, Department of Health Region 12 director, during a press conference. "A reliable informant gave the information to me," he told reporters. Chua, however, failed to pinpoint the location of the said drug laboratories. At the same forum, South Cotabato police director Senior Supt. Getulio Napeñas said majority of drug pushers arrested in the province confirmed that Cotabato City has been the major supplier of metampethamine hydrochloride, also know as shabu, in Central Mindanao. "We are getting the information from the neutralized local drug pushers," he said. Napeñas however said they still has to confirm the presence of drug laboratories in Cotabato City. Both officials also declined to comment whether Chinese or Filipino syndicates are maintaining the alleged drug laboratories. Chua said over 3.2 million Filipinos nationwide are now either drug dependents or occasional users. Shabu tops the favorite among drug users at 87.82%, followed by marijuana, rugby and over the counter drugs like Robitussin AC, Corex Plain and Nubain, he said. Among drug users, male and female ratio is 9 is to one, with the average drug user at 29 years old, data showed.

Source: SunStar/14 November 2005/ http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/gen/2005/11/14/news/cotabato.city.has.6.drug.labs.html

Narcotics Group Nabs 6 In Marijuana Trade

Six suspected persons, including two minors, were arrested on Sunday by the Antinarcotics and Presidential Security Group agents for transporting 21 kilos of marijuana at the back of the presidential mansion. Senior Inspector John Paul Mencio, deputy chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), said one of the suspects eluded arrest as enforcers surrounded Outlook Drive where the buy-bust took place. Arrested were Washington Pelitan, 35; Melgie Ebanues, 30; Estrella Lobito, 40; and driver Anthony Aludos. Authorities withhold the names of the two male minors, aged 17. Mencio told reporters that the arrest came after one of the suspects approached a PDEA informant asking him about a buyer of at least 200 kilos of marijuana bricks. The informant said he knew of a potential buyer and agreed to do the transaction on Wright Park with 20 kilos of marijuana bricks as initial supply, but the buy-bust took place on Outlook Drive. Mencio said that one of the older suspects could face serious offense for instructing the minors as couriers by ordering them to load the marijuan in a taxi in La Trinidad, Benguet, before it was transported to Baguio. One of the minors told The Times that he was unaware of the transaction, saying that he was surprised that the sack was full of marijuana bricks. Authorities would turn over the two minors to the Department of Social Welfare and Development on court order. (continued)

Source: ABS-CBN News/Harley Palangchao/14 November 2005/

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=21929

Police Officer Nabbed In Anti-Narcotics Raid In Quezon City

A POLICE officer has been arrested during a raid on a suspected laboratory of illegal drugs in Quezon City late Sunday by anti-narcotics agents, officials said. Senior Police Officer 4 Giovanni Agas, 47, on active duty, and a certain Raquel Arellano, were nabbed, as the raiding team swooped down on the "mini-laboratory" on number 3 Rooks Street, Mendoza Village in the Project 8 district at around 10:30 p.m., Director Marcelo Ele, chief of the Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force (AID-SOTF) said in his report to Philippine National Police chief Arturo Lomibao. Seized were several drums and sacks of ingredients used in manufacturing "shabu" or methamphetamine hydrochloride and "ketamine," an animal steroid used as a party drug, said Superintendent Arnold Aguilar of the AID-SOTF, who led the raid. The AID-SOTF has yet to account for the volume and cost of the chemicals, which were turned over to the Quezon City Police District Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO), Aguilar said in a phone interview. The owner of the mini-laboratory, chemical engineer Romy Torralba, was arrested last November 3 for alleged drug trafficking and had been detained at the QCPD Station 3, Ele said.

Source: Inquirer News Service/Joel Francis Guinto/14 November 2005/ http://news.inq7.net/top/index.php?index=1&story_id=56481

Singapore

Tough On Drugs, Soft On Drug Lords

Source: Sydney Morning Herald/Connie Levett/9 November 2005/ http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/tough-on-drugs-soft-on-drug-lords/2005/11/08/1131407638823.html

Anglican Primate Wants Drug Trafficker Spared

THE head of the Anglican Church in Australia has joined appeals for Singapore to save the life of Tuong Van Nguyen 25, as lawyers for the Melbourne drug trafficker indicated yesterday he could be hanged on November 25. Anglican Primate Phillip Aspinall has pleaded for clemency in a letter to Singapore President S.R. Nathan. In a statement to The Australian, Archbishop Aspinall said he appreciated that Van had committed a serious offence. "I am praying the authorities in that country will exercise their discretion and demonstrate compassion by sparing his life and allowing him to serve a custodial sentence," he said. Archbishop Aspinall said he had asked Mr Nathan to take into account Van's "genuine remorse and his co-operation with local law-enforcement agencies since the time of his arrest". Copies of the letter were sent to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Singapore's High Commission in Canberra. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said he would again raise the case with his Singaporean counterpart, George Yeo, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting in South Korea next week. However, Mr Yeo has written to Mr Downer advising that the decision to hang Van will not be reversed. Van was arrested at Singapore's Changi airport in December 2002 carrying 400g of heroin. He was sentenced to death in March last year. His lawyer, Lex Lasry, said Singaporean authorities had signalled they would give two weeks notice before hanging him.

Source: News.com/Greg Roberts and Natasha Bita/10 November 2005/ http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,17193591-2,00.html

Candles Burn For Nguyen

AMNESTY International Australia has held the first of many vigils aimed at stopping the execution of convicted Australian drug trafficker Tuong Van Nguyen in Singapore. Nguyen was caught smuggling 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body and in his hand luggage at Changi airport in Singapore in 2002. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to death by hanging. Nguyen told police he had carried the drugs on behalf of a Sydney-based drug syndicate in a bid to pay legal fees owed by his twin brother. Amnesty International Australia will this week hold events in its Candles of Hope campaign, including marches and candlelight vigils, around the country. Amnesty's anti-death penalty co-ordinator, Tim Goodwin, said hundreds attended the first event at Sydney's Martin Place yesterday morning. "In Sydney more than 230 people signed appeals and over the next few days, it's hard to specify a number but we expect hundreds of people to attend our events across the country," Mr Goodwin said. Events including candlelight vigils were to continue in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth last night with others planned in Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin at the weekend. Candles of Hope aimed to encourage Australians to sign letters appealing for the Singapore government to spare Nguyen's life and to voice their opposition to the use of the death penalty in the Asia-Pacific region. Mr Goodwin said the death penalty was cruel and inappropriate under any circumstances. (continued)

Source: Herald Sun/11 November 2005/ http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17205191%255E2862,00.html

Howard 'Lacks Heart' On Nguyen

PRIME Minister John Howard has been accused by one of Australia's leading lawyers of lacking the heart to appeal personally to Singapore for the life of a Melbourne man facing execution. Barrister Lex Lasry, QC, said yesterday it seemed Mr Howard was unable to "find it in his heart" to use the standing of his office to call directly for Nguyen Tuong Van's life to be spared. Mr Lasry has acted for almost three years for Nguyen, 25, who faces death by hanging for importing heroin in 2002. Nguyen's appeal for clemency was refused by Singapore's President on October 21. A week ago its Foreign Minister George Yeo confirmed that decision. Mr Lasry told a packed breakfast gathering of barristers and solicitors in Melbourne Mr Howard's direct intervention could make the difference between life and death. "We are now very much at the 11th hour, and I'm sorry if I sound a bit fatuous, but I do really believe that the thing that could make a difference at this stage is someone of the standing of the Prime Minister to actually take a strong, direct and personal stand," he said. Mr Lasry noted the recent "immediate stand" the Australian Government took to protest directly to the Indonesian Government over its move to reduce the jail sentence of Jemaah Islamiah terrorist group spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir. (continued)

Source: The Age/Steve Butcher/11 November 2005/ http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/howard-lacks-heart-on-nguyen/2005/11/10/1131578172388.html

Death In Singapore: You Must Speak Out, Mr Howard

An Australian is headed for the gallows, and our PM is not doing enough. OUR client Nguyen Tuong Van may hang in Singapore within three or four weeks for importing into the transit area of Changi airport an amount of just under 400 grams of heroin. I haven't done a drug case for a while, but I suspect that someone charged with importing 400 grams of heroin into Australia would serve a sentence of something like six years with a minimum of four years, maybe a little more, maybe a little less, depending on the particular circumstances. Nguyen had no intention of dealing with the drug in Singapore. He was on his way to Melbourne. The heroin was never going to cross the Customs barrier and was never going to be distributed in Singapore. Apart from the symbolism of it, Singapore had nothing to fear from Van. Van was apprehended, charged, tried, found guilty before a judge alone, not a jury. He appealed. The appeal was dismissed, then he sought clemency. The clemency petition was 70 pages of personal circumstances, details of assistance to authorities, arguments about the constitutional basis on which clemency ought to be extended. The lawyers in Singapore, through whom we act, received a letter back that said "no" in about three or four lines. Our client could be executed in circumstances where, under the particular provisions of the Singapore constitution, he qualifies for clemency — because of his assistance to the authorities. (continued)

Source: The Age/Lex Lasry/11 November 2005/ http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/death-in-singapore-you-must-speak-out-mr-howard/2005/11/10/1131578173708.html

Death Penalty Discriminates

APPEALS to the Singaporean Government to reconsider clemency for the young Australian sentenced to death, Tuong Van Nguyen, do not ignore its right to determine the laws by which its visitors must abide. But there are some truths which are universal, such as that spoken by William Shakespeares Portia in The Merchant of Venice: “The quality of mercy is not strained. It dropeth like the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It is twice blessed. It blesseth him that giveth and him that taketh. Tis mightiest in the mightiest. It becomes the throned monarch better than his crown.” Having been a prison nurse for 10 years I know of the suffering of drug-addicted victims and the grief it causes families. I understand why parents of addicts wish drug traffickers wiped off the face of the earth. But as a nurse I was obliged to treat with equal respect the lives of the victim and the trafficker. When a state sanctions killing this tenet is undermined. If doctors and nurses were to similarly discriminate, no one would be safe. The heroin Tuong Van Nguyen was carrying when arrested could have caused misery and death. Due to the vigilance of Singaporean authorities it didnt. He was a foolish boy, not a hardened, remorseless criminal. Granted clemency, he will still pay a heavy price with long imprisonment and surely the vision of his grieving mother, who gave birth to him in a refugee camp, is an equally effective and a more humane deterrent.

Source: Border Mail/DENISE M. CAMERON/11 November 2005/ http://www.bordermail.com.au/newsflow/pageitem?page_id=1082431

Howard Urged To Raise Death Penalty At APEC

PRIME Minister John Howard has been urged to use this week's APEC summit to renew clemency appeals for Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van. Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said Mr Howard had worked hard to save 25-year-old Nguyen from hanging, but there was still time to make another appeal to Singapore's Government at the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has already said he would use the opportunity to make further appeals. "We have really seen, right across Australia, an outpouring to the Government in Singapore, of concern that this execution should not go ahead," Mr Beazley said. "I think there need to be further approaches from the Prime Minister to the Government of Singapore. "There will be an opportunity for the Prime Minister, over the next few days when he goes to APEC. I think it's very important that the Singaporeans understand how deeply we all feel about this." Nguyen was caught at Changi Airport in 2002 with 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body and in his hand luggage. Amnesty International anti-death penalty co-ordinator Tim Goodwin said the APEC meeting of ministers from across Asia was "a perfect opportunity for the Australian Government to put the death penalty back on the region's human rights agenda".

Source: The Age/Nassim Khadem/15 November 2005/y http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/howard-urged-to-raise-death-penalty-at-apec/2005/11/14/1131951100227.html

Nguyen Unlikely To Be Spared: Lawyer

A DRUG trafficker on death row in Singapore had little chance of escaping execution, a prominent Malaysian lawyer said today. Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, was caught at Changi airport in Singapore in 2002 smuggling 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body and in his hand luggage. Gobind Singh, the son of lawyer Karpal Singh who defended Australian heroin trafficker Kevin Barlow, said there was almost no hope in saving Nguyen. Barlow and co-accused Brian Chambers were hanged in Malaysia in July 1986 after being caught carrying 145 grams of heroin Nguyen has been on death row since his sentencing in January 2004. Court appeals and pleas to the Singapore Government for clemency have been unsuccessful. Prime Minister John Howard has been urged to renew his appeals at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Joint Ministerial Meeting in South Korea this week. Nguyen is expected to be hanged in Singapore in less than a fortnight. Opposition Leader Kim Beazley said it was important Singaporeans understood how deeply Australians felt about the impending execution. "I think while there's life there's hope and we've just got to keep up the steady pressure, the steady argument," Mr Beazley said. "It is just not in the interests of Singapore and the relationship between us, for this execution to go ahead." Meanwhile Mr Singh said Nguyen's chances were slim. "Honestly, the chances (for Nguyen) are very, very bleak," he told ABC radio. (continued)

Source: Herald Sun/14 November 2005/ http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,17239908%255E1702,00.html

Singapore MP Says Drug Penalties Should Not Be Changed For One Man

A member of parliament in Singapore has shown little sympathy for the plight of an Australian man about to be hanged, saying his country should not be relaxing its tough drug stance for the sake of one man. Our reporter, Lucy McNally, says the mother of the convicted drug smuggler is continuing to urge the public to support her son. Melbourne man Van Nguyen, 25, was given the death sentence for attempting to smuggle heroin into Australia via Singapore. He has exhausted all legal avenues and now waits in his cell for the date he will hang. His mother, Kim, says she knows he did the wrong thing but one mistake should not end his life. "I would like to see more action from the government of Singapore," she said. But Steve Chia, a member of the opposition in Singapore, says the government cannot bend the rules for one person. "There are many other Singaporeans in the past who are caught with the same amount of drugs and they are all hanged," he said.

Source: ABC News Online/14 November 2005/ http://www.abc.net.au/ra/news/stories/s1506227.htm

Twins - One On Death Row, Other In Despair

THE LITTLE twins smile happily for the camera, their young lives filled with endless possibilities. Today one of them sits on death row, the other is in hiding — filled with despair over the loving brother whose life looks certain to be cut short on the gallows in Singapore. The image of Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van, 25, and his brother, Khoa, was released by lawyers for Nguyen, who are fighting to save his life. Nguyen was arrested in Singapore in 2002 carrying 396 grams of heroin. He told police he was acting as a courier for a Sydney drug syndicate to earn money to pay for his brother's legal debts. Few people know where Khoa is today, but those who know him say he is devastated. The pair had been inseparable since arriving in Australia with their mother when they were four months old. Nguyen's application for clemency was refused by Singapore's President S.R. Nathan on October 21. But friends and supporters have not given up hope. Yesterday, supporters of the Reach Out campaign, set up by friends of Nguyen, gathered in Melbourne to sort through the thousands of letters of support. Nguyen's tireless friends Kelly Ng and Bronwyn Lew had invited Australians to trace their hands on coloured paper, with the tracings to be sent to Mr Nathan. The idea was inspired by the traced outline of Nguyen's hand, that he sent to his mother from Changi Prison. (continued)

Source: The Age/Steve Butcher/13 November 2005/ http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/twins--one-on-death-row-other-in-despair/2005/11/12/1131578275897.html

QRSciences To Commence Working Trial With Singaporean Immigration

QRSciences (ASX:QRS)(Pink Sheets:QRSHY) is pleased to announce that it will today commence a working trial with the Singaporean Immigration and Checkpoint Authority taking place at a major checkpoint used by more than 100,000 people daily. QRSciences has entered commercial discussions with Arrowcrest Technologies Pty Ltd and Singapore Technologies Electronics (ST Electronics) teaming with both parties to co-ordinate the trial. The T3-03 Explosive Detection System, which is being tested, has the ability to identify explosives through a unique scanning technology called Quadrupole Resonance (QR), a non-invasive radio frequency spectroscopy that can identify the unique chemical signature of a range of difficult to detect explosives. The trial will focus on targeted explosives but the device can also be tuned to detect a range of narcotics including heroin, cocaine, a range of amphetamines and other recreational drugs. The technology is complementary to existing X-ray scanners. QRSciences Chief Executive Officer Kevin Russeth said that Singapore is a major international hub with a reputation for being at the forefront of technological advancement in Security. The trial will raise the awareness of QR's leading-edge technologies in one of the world's busiest regions, and one where security and interdiction are particularly important considerations. "ST Electronics featured our T3-03 Explosive Detection System at their booth at Safety & Security Asia 2005 and Asia Homeland Security 2005 at the Singapore Expo last week and generated significant interest. Singapore is a strategic location and gateway to Southeast Asia with significant through traffic every day. (continued)

Source: Business Wire/14 November 2005/ http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20051114005825&newsLang=en

UN Rights Expert Calls On Singapore Not To Execute Convicted Drug Trafficker

A United Nations human rights expert today called on the Government of Singapore not to execute a man sentenced to death for attempting to traffic heroin, declaring that the execution violate international legal standards. “Making such a penalty mandatory – thereby eliminating the discretion of the court – makes it impossible to take into account mitigating or extenuating circumstances and eliminates any individual determination of an appropriate sentence in a particular case,” the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions of the UN Commission on Human Rights, Philip Alston, said. “The adoption of such a black and white approach is entirely inappropriate where the life of the accused is at stake. Once the sentence has been carried out it is irreversible,” he added. Nguyen Tuong Van was sentenced to death for attempting to traffic just under 400 grams of pure heroin through Changi Airport in December 2002. Mr. Alston noted that the Singaporean Government had in the past stated that the death penalty is primarily a question for the sovereign jurisdiction of each country, but he said matters relating to the functioning of the criminal justice system are legitimate matters of international concern when questions of non-compliance with international standards are involved. He added that the Singapore Court of Appeal had failed to examine the most relevant case of all in rejecting the condemned man’s appeal, one in which the United Kingdom’s Law Lords endorsed the statement that (continued)

Source: UN News Centre/15 November 2005/ http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=16561&Cr=Singapore&Cr1=UNCHR

Downer's Final Bid For Clemency For Nguyen Fails

FOREIGN Minister Alexander Downer has failed in what could be the final bid to save the life of condemned Melbourne man Nguyen Tuong Van. Mr Downer's face-to-face plea last night to his Singapore counterpart, George Yeo, for Nguyen's death sentence to be reconsidered was rejected. Mr Downer was told in a meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum in South Korea that Singapore's decision to refuse Nguyen clemency was "irreversible". Nguyen's last chance for life may now rest with Prime Minister John Howard, who will join the APEC forum later this week. But repeated requests by The Age to establish whether Mr Howard will raise Nguyen's case with the Singaporeans have failed. Mr Howard's adviser did not return calls. Nguyen's senior Melbourne lawyer, Lex Lasry, QC, last week accused Mr Howard of lacking the heart to tell Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that Australia did not want Nguyen executed, a suggestion Mr Howard rejected. Mr Downer told reporters after his meeting with Mr Yeo: "Once more I explained to him how concerned we are about his impending execution and repeated my view to him that we hoped the Singapore Government would be prepared to reconsider. He said Mr Yeo spent some time explaining why the decision to refuse clemency had been made and was adamant that the decision could not be changed. Nguyen, 25, was arrested in December 2002 at Singapore's Changi Airport carrying 396 grams of heroin. (continued)

Source: The Age/Steve Butcher and Nassim Khadem/16 November 2005/ http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/downers-final-bid-for-clemency-for-nguyen-fails/2005/11/15/1132016797367.html

Execution Decision 'Irreversible'

SINGAPORE has told Australia its decision to execute a 25-year-old Melbourne man convicted of drug trafficking is irreversible. Foreign Minister Alexander Downer last night made a face-to-face plea to his Singapore counterpart George Yeo for the death sentence imposed on Nguyen Tuong Van to be reconsidered, but was told the decision was final. "Once more I explained to him how concerned we are about his impending execution and repeated my view to him that we hoped the Singapore Government would be prepared to reconsider (its decision)," he said. Mr Downer spoke to Mr Yeo on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum in South Korea, which Prime Minister John Howard will attend later this week. Labor is urging Mr Howard to use the opportunity to make his own plea for clemency for the young man. Nguyen was caught with 396 grams of heroin strapped to his body and in his hand luggage at Changi airport in 2002. The Government and supporters have been pursuing ways to spare his life after he lost an appeal for clemency last month. Mr Downer's meeting with Mr Yeo was the first direct discussion at a senior government level since Singapore made the decision. "(Mr Yeo) spent some time explaining to me why the cabinet had made the decision it did make (and) he went into quite a bit of detail about the various issues that the cabinet considered," Mr Downer said. (continued)

Source: The Australian/15 November 2005/ http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,17255801%255E1702,00.html

Thailand

Taiwan Succeeds In Helping Thailand Bust Cross-Border Drug Ring

Taiwan's police authorities have successfully cooperated with their foreign counterparts in seizing 40 kilograms of heroin on the Thai resort island of Phuket, an official with the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said Wednesday. Police and drug control authorities from Taiwan, Thailand, the United States, Australia and New Zealand took part in the operation last Friday, the official said. In addition to uncovering 100 high-grade heroin bricks weighing a total of 40 kilograms, four suspects, including a British drug wholesaler identified as Ian Newton, were arrested in the raid. According to the CIB official, Newton, 41, once taught English at a cram school in Taiwan. He was arrested at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport in 1997 when he was caught redhanded smuggling two kilograms of heroin into Taiwan. He was later given a 13-year prison term and was paroled in 2003 after serving his time in Taiwan. Newton then took residence in Thailand and became a drug dealer. Thai law enforcement authorities sought Taiwan's assistance recently after receiving tipoffs that Newton was recruiting traffickers to export illegal drugs out of Thailand. According to CIB intelligence, Newton's financial sources were scattered around the world. Thai authorities invited law enforcers from Taiwan, the United States, Australia and New Zealand to form a joint task force to investigate the case. Newton reportedly holds a New Zealand passport. (continued)

Source: Central News Agency/Sofia Wu/9 November 2005/ http://www.cna.com.tw/eng/ceplist.php?class=3J

Officers On Alert To Foil Planned Trafficking Of Large-Scale Drugs

Source: MCOT/15 November 2005/

http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=4390

Thailand To Punch Drug Dealers Supporting Insurgents

Drug dealers found to be supporting insurgents and separatists in Thai southernmost provinces will be unrelentingly brought to justice, Thailand's Interior Minister Kongsak Wanthana said Monday. The authorities will crack down on drug dealers as well as extortionists and other outlawed criminal elements, as they provided financial support for the separatists and for those responsible for violence throughout the region. Thai Royal Air Chief Marshal Kongsak's comment followed the arrest Sunday of a group of suspected drug dealers in Narathiwat and seizure of about 115 million Baht (3 million US dollars) in assets from criminal groups who had allegedly smuggled drugs from the South to third countries. Charges were filed against the suspects under the anti-money laundering law, the interior minister was quoted by the Thai News Agency as saying. Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya declined to comment whether any funding for separatist movements might also have been provided from external sources but disclosed he had assigned Justice Ministry officials to supervise South youths who may have been misled into joining the militants but who later surrendered to the authorities. Intelligence missions by government personnel had considerably reduced the incidence of violent acts and improved deterrence of insurgency-related actions by militants, said Pol Gen Chidchai, who is concurrently justice minister. It is a primary duty of the authorities to protect innocent people who would otherwise be intimidated or harmed by insurgents, Chidchai added.

Source: China View/14 November 2005/

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-11/14/content_3779404.htm

Traffickers `Financing Separatists'

Kongsak vows wider war on drug gangs Interior Minister Kongsak Wantana said drug traffickers are financially supporting separatist operations in the deep South and he vowed to crack down on them. ACM Kongsak's remarks followed Sunday's raids on 21 locations in six districts of Narathiwat in which two suspected members of a major drug trafficking gang were arrested. Bank accounts with more than 115 million baht in funds belonging to at-large drug trafficking suspects have also been seized, he said. The minister said investigations found a drug gang in Narathiwat had given financial support to insurgents carrying out terrorist acts in the South. ``We will simultaneously launch a war on drug traffickers, influential figures and separatists. Suppression operations against drug gangs must be continuous and in all regions from the North to the South, since the southern region is a key transit route for drugs,'' said ACM Kongsak. Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Chidchai Wannasathit said the government was on the right track to solve southern violence by targeting gangs demanding protection fees, drug traffickers and influential figures. A team of security officers, chaired by national intelligence chief Pol Gen Jumpol Manmai, will be set up to work closely with the Department of Special Investigation, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the National Counter Corruption Commission, the Royal Thai Police Office and the Revenue Department. Supreme Commander Ruangroj Mahasaranond said about 20,000 residents of the three southernmost provinces will be employed under the military's job creation scheme. (continued)

Source: Bangkok Post/YUWADEE TUNYASIRI WAEDAO HARAI/15 November 2005/

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/15Nov2005_news09.php

Vietnam

Asian-Pacific Countries Pledge To Support Vietnam In Drug Fighting

Anti-drug chiefs from over 30 countries in the Asian-Pacific region made their commitments for closer coordination with Vietnam in the fight against drugs in Hanoi on Nov. 7. Their common target is to help Vietnam, China and other ASEAN countries to be drug-free by 2015. Addressing the 29th Asian-Pacific Conference on Drug Control, Narumi Yamada, Chief Representative of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Vietnam appreciated the cooperation of Vietnam in drug control in the recent time. She said countries in the region and the world should coordinate more effectively in the fight against this increasing transnational crime. All countries, she stressed, should increase their experience exchange and cooperation in the fight, especially to prevent the spread of Amphetamine-type Stimulants (ATS drugs). Sen. General Le The Tiem, Vice Minister of Public Security, said the Vietnamese Government considers drug fight an urgent task and has concentrated efforts and mapped out plans and concrete measures to stop the danger. So far, Vietnam has joined three international conventions on drug control and signed cooperation agreements in fighting drug-related crimes with border-sharing countries and other regional countries.

Source: Vietnam Net Bridge/9 November 2005/ http://english.vietnamnet.vn/social/2005/11/509703/

Drugs Still Thread Their Way Into Vietnam, 28 Traffickers Arrested

Police in Ho Chi Minh City reported Wednesday to have busted several gangs bringing drugs into Vietnam from neighboring countries and arrested 28 suspected pushers during the year. They said heroin and synthetic drugs were carried from Laos, Cambodia, and China into Vietnam’s northern provinces and then delivered to HCMC and surrounding areas. Following the arrest of 25 people in HCMC, they seized 2.5 kg of heroin, 2,000 ecstasy pills, and around 1.4 kg of synthetic drugs. Besides, their colleagues in the northern Thanh Hoa and Bac Ninh provinces nabbed three traffickers and seized 11 heroin cakes (three cakes to a kilogram), four synthetic pills, a knife, mobile phone and VND2.9 million (less than US$200). The three, Luu Dinh Lam and brothers Vu Dinh Tuyen and Vu Dinh Tuong, were arrested while transporting the drugs into the country. The two brothers face prosecution for not only trafficking drugs but also offering a bribe of $300 to policemen. Trafficking in more than 600 grams of heroin in Vietnam is punishable by death by firing squad

Source: Thanh Nien News/9 November 2005/ http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=10428

Son La Police Crack Heroin Trafficking Ring

Son La province police force have completed their crackdown on a heroin trafficking ring, seizing 30 packages of heroin and arresting six people. As many as 10 people will be prosecuted for their involvement in the case. According to initial report, these traffickers said they have traded as many as 724 packages of heroin since their start of operation. The case began when Tran Trung Viet, born 1974, was arrested with a suitcase carrying 30 packages of heroin, weighing 10,864.86 grams, when he tried to cross a veterinary control station in Long Luong village, Moc Chau district, Son La province, on November 28, 2004. The case was further investigated by the Son La province police force and more people were arrested. Trafficked heroin was then distributed in Hanoi and Haiphong. Transportation fee for each package of heroin from Son La to Hanoi is VND 1 million. The ring started their operation since 2000 and by the time they were arrested, they had transported and traded 724 packages of heroin. The investigation is being completed and people involved in the case will be brought to trial.

Source: Nhan Dan/9 November 2005/ http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/news/091105/sonla.htm

Vietnam Police Gather Evidence To Arraign 10 Drug Dealers

Police in Vietnam have completed a probe into a northern drug gang which they smashed in late 2004, collecting sufficient proof to bring 10 traffickers to court. The police department of Son La province in the northern mountains said Wednesday the ring had transported 724 cakes of heroin (three cakes to a kilogram) from the province to Hanoi. Ten gang members, including six who have been arrested, have been prosecuted for drug trafficking. Four others are still at large. One of the arrested members had links with northern Vietnam’s largest drug gang headed by Trinh Nguyen Thuy. Thuy, who is in police custody, and his gang reportedly brought almost a ton of heroin from neighboring Laos into Vietnam and sold it in many provinces. Also Wednesday, Thuy’s case was transferred to the Ministry of Public Security for further inquiry, police said in Phu Tho province where he was arrested in August. Trafficking more than 600 grams of heroin in Vietnam is punishable by death.

Source: Thanh Nien News/10 November 2005/ http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=10458

Police Seize Cambodian Ecstasy Trafficker In Kien Giang

Source: Nhan Dan/11 November 2005/ http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/life/111105/life_ecstasy.htm

Vietnamese-Belgian Ecstasy Trafficker Arrested

Police in Ho Chi Minh City on November 14 arrested Pham Toan Nang, a Belgian of Vietnamese origin, on charges of trafficking ecstasy pills. Nang, 38, and his accomplices – Nguyen Tuan Anh, 23, Than Duc Phu Hai, 22, and Le Hoang Tuan, 37 - allegedly organised a night party involving ecstasy at Ben Ben Bar in the City's District No.1 in the early morning of November 13. Policemen in charge of District No. 1 said they have spent much time surveying Nang’s illegal operations and have discovered that Nang is an “ecstasy baron” in the City. However, the total volume of ecstasy that Nang is suspected of having traded in Ho Chi Minh City was not available yet.

Source: Vietnam News Agency/14 November 2005/ http://www.vnagency.com.vn/NewsA.asp?LANGUAGE_ID=2&CATEGORY_ID=29&NEWS_ID=174729