What will be the future of Manipur ? Please advise

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

Manipur which is facing a very very big problem of Injecting Drug Use

and HIV/AIDS for more that a decade,and now another epidemic araises

out of the blues in the form of ATS(a stimulants drugs) which is

coming from Mayanmar. Please find, following a paper cutting from a

local paper.

Please advise, what we are suppose to do in this type of

situation in Manipur.

-------------------------

Tablets worth Rs 1 Cr seized.

By our staff reporter Impahl Jan 18: A team led by

The SP Customs arrested a Burmese national from New Lodge at Moreh

Bazar on Jan 16 and recovered illegal tablets work over RS 1 Crore in

the international market. The Burmese national has been identified as

one Khumo (35) son of (L) Uchin from Tamu Township ward no 12 )

(Sova). The tablets recovered from his is Methamphetamine, which is

an energetic tablet. The tablet numbering 15, 296 is suspected to

have come from either China or Myanmar, said a source. The total

amount of the tablets recovered from the Burmese national is expected

to run be worth about Rs 1, 52,96,000 in the international market

with each tablet costing around RS 1,000. Besides registering a case

against the accused Khumo under NDPS Act the Customs Department has

also remanded him in judicial custody for further interrogation, said

sources further.

Thanking you

Regards,

L.Birendrajit Singh, Imphal. Manipur

E-mail: " <lbirendrajit@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear friends in Manipur,

Even though I didn't get to Manipur when I was in India the

problems there are very similar to the problems facing IDU's in

the west.

When the injecting becomes too difficult or too dangerous what

other recreational substance becomes potentially useful to the

illicit market and recreational pill popping is one such solution

with a significant supply and demand imperative.

What I wondered about and will ask when I can get back to India is

what services exist to minimise harm in Manipur because it is harm

minimisation initiatives that precipitate safe practices given

that recreational substance use is endemic where opportunities for

other lifestyles are impaired.

I prefer to use the term recreational substance use because it is

more descriptive of the reasons why people use and is less loaded

with overtones of substandard humanity. Please advise what

programs exist and something about the involvement of users in the

determination of useful outcomes. I realise that India is firmly

entrenched in the " zero tolerance " mentality with their

enforcement practices and it may take a lot of influence to prove

that zero tolerance practices only worsens what is already a

significant community problem.

It is my understanding that AUSAID will somehow become involved in

some work in Manipur sometime in 2003 and I would very much like

some feedback in how we might collectively address issues of harm

minimisation strategies which are very labour intensive and

involve significant elements of trust between workers and

recreational users.

Geoff Heaviside

Brimbank Community Initiatives Inc

5 Brisbane Street, P.O. Box 606

SUNSHINE 3020 Australia

Ph: +61 3 9311 5052

Cell +61418328278

E-mail: Heaviside " <gheaviside@...>