Gobind Thukral

SOMEWHERE Punjab is not only losing its body, but its soul too.  Look at this survey which Punjab government has submitted before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. It reveals 66 per cent of the school-going students in the state consume gutkha or tobacco; every third male and every tenth female student has taken drugs on one pretext or the other and seven out of 10 college-going students abuse one or the other drug.  Is it the land of opium eaters, consumers of poppy husk or synthetic drugs and pills of all sorts?

These disturbing details were submitted Mr. Harjit Singh, Secretary, Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development, in a reply to a petition filed by some drug rehabilitation centers.  The Punjab government admitted, “In the recent times, the amount of narcotic substances seized in the state has also been among the highest in the country”. Only last week the agencies seized over 40 kg heroin worth Rs 40 crore near the border in Punjab.

There are more candid admissions by the Punjab Government when it says, “the vibrancy of Punjab is virtually a myth.... many sell their blood to procure their daily dose of deadly drugs, even beg on the streets for money to continue their addiction... The entire Punjab is in the grip of drug hurricane which weakens the morale, physique and character of the youth. We are in the danger of losing the young generation. The vibrant Punjab that had ushered in the Green Revolution is today living in a dazed stupor as 67 per cent of its rural household has at least one drug addict.”  Only 33 per cent of the households have escaped this menace of drug addiction. How long can they escape. As per the Punjab government use of alcohol and drugs is now a “part of the Punjabi culture”. No celebration is complete until liquor is served in plenty. However, in the last two decades, the pattern of drug use in the state has undergone a change in favour of new narcotic and synthetic drugs. Now the addicts consume multiple as well as single drugs. A dear friend, well off connected landlord from Mukatsar rues his fate as he bemoans the fate of his three young sons, all opium addicts. He knows not what to do as admission to de-addiction centers has been of little help.  There are many such sad parents all over the state.

Marriages and other happy occasions only mean free flow of liquor, particularly Indian Made Foreign Liquor No doubt Punjab has the highest per capita consumption of liquor and Scotch whisky besides opium and smack. It makes the government earn Rs 1,700 crore. It fills the pockets of the excise officials, drug sellers, peddlers and smugglers besides helps politicians win elections. It is part of the international drug racket and helps fund terrorism. Through opium produced in the fields of Afghanistan and other areas and intoxicants they purchase arms and ammunition and destroy countries.

The government also admits that the amount of narcotic substances seized in the state is among the highest in the country. Punjab accounts for roughly over one-fifth of the total recoveries of heroin, the costliest drug.

Opiates, their derivatives and synthetic opiate drugs are used by 70 per cent of the addicts, followed by a combination of opiate and other sedatives, including morphine.  Extent of drug addiction in Punjab is 70 per cent. Household survey indicates that there is at least one drug addict in the 65 per cent of families in Majha and Doaba and 64 percent families of Malwa.

Government admits that Tarn Taran, bordering Pakistan is the most affected rural district and Amritsar is the most affected urban district in Punjab.  Per head consumption of alcohol is the maximum in Punjab and again Tarn Taran district tops the list.  In border areas, the extent of substance abuse is 70-75 per cent in the age group of 15-25 years and up to 40 per cent in the age group of 35-60 years.  Over 16 per cent population is addicted to hard drugs. Smack is mainly coming in from Pakistan and Nepal, but the regular supply for Punjab comes from Delhi, Meerut, Sardulgarh and J & K.

Drug seizure in Punjab has increased in last three years. The amount of narcotic and psychotropic substances recovered has increased substantially over the last three years. While the quantity of heroin seized has gone up by nearly five times, the quantity of charas recovered is up by 10 per cent. For smack, it is double.

The official data highlights the increase in drug recoveries from 2006 to 2008. Compared to the 53-kg heroin recovered in 2006, the amount seized in 2008 rose to 269 kg. For the same period, the quantity of smack seized increased from 32 kg to 55 kg, while that for charas increased from 98 kg to 110 kg. One of the petitioners, Talwinder Pal Singh, who runs a drug rehabilitation centre in Punjab, had moved the High Court challenging the orders of the Punjab to close down such government-run drug rehabilitation centers.

The government submitted, “Punjab remains vulnerable because of its proximity to the Golden Crescent (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran). Drug traffickers have changed their overland route and narcotics are being transited through India, of which 40 per cent is transited through Punjab alone.”  According to records furnished by the police, narcotic and psychotropic substances like opium, poppy-husk, smack, ganja and charas are smuggled into the state from Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

And, Punjab is the land of gurus and saints. Travel anywhere, rural or urban areas, gurudwaras, mandirs and other places of worship of the almighty dot each nook and corner. There are hundreds of Deras that dispense readymade solutions for the ills of this world. We have all powerful SGPC, the mini parliament of the Sikhs with a huge budget. There is, of course, the all mighty Punjab government. Yet drug addiction that is destroying the youth is so rampant   and no serious effort to check at government, religious or social level is visible. Are we losing our moorings? [Courtesy The Tribune]

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Economic crisis sharpens different contradictions

Dr Sawraj Singh  

THE recession and the present economic crisis of capitalism has sharpened different contradictions such as  between the developed countries and the developing countries, between America and Europe, between the right and the left, between the radicals and the moderates, between different castes and between the conservatives and the liberals. The latest example is the parliamentary election in the European Union.  In many European countries such as England, Germany, France and Italy, the leftist social democrats are losing and the conservative right and centre are gaining.  This phenomenon is opposite to what is happening in many third World countries.  For example, in South America, one after the other country is having a leftist and marxist government.  Recently in the OAS summit in Honduras, Cuba won a great victory when all the 34 member countries except the USA voted to readmit Cuba to the organization.  All the countries except the USA have diplomatic relations with Cuba now.

The approach to solve the economic crisis is different in the USA and Europe.  President Obama wants to increase the spending and move more toward socialization.  The conservatives and the rightists are opposing his measures.  Europe seems to be going in the opposite direction.  The Europeans want to cut back the spending.  If America is moving towards the left and more liberal policies, Europe is moving toward the right and conservatism.

The contradiction between Western Europe and Russia is also becoming sharper.  Russia’s using its energy power instead of its military power to bring the Western Europe to its knees.  The Western European dependence on Russian gas continues to increase.  The Western Europe’s efforts to develop a gas pipeline from Central Asia to Europe are not doing well and Russia continues to build pipelines to Europe.

When it comes to the relations between the developed and the developing countries both Europe and America are not willing to bring the necessary changes to move towards a new World order.  Basically, they want to maintain status quo and continue the Western domination of the World.

President Obama’s reaching out to the Muslims also seems to be based upon using the differences between the radical and the moderate Muslims to isolate the more extremist and militant factions.  However, his policy is being attacked by some Jewish groups, conservatives and the rightist as being apologetic to the Muslims and going against the interest of Israel.  However, his policy may be responsible for the victory of Pro American factions in Lebanon’s recent elections.

 In the Korean peninsula, the contradictions are sharpening to a point that an armed conflict is becoming a distinct possibility.  South Korea is moving closer to the USA and North Korea and China are coming closer.  Will this mean restarting the Korean War which was never formally ended and still there is only a truce?

The Indian subcontinent can become the major arena for the conflict between the established forces and the forces that went to change the old World order.  The Indian government seems solidly aligned with America.  Most of India’s neighbors seem to be leaning more toward China.  Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are clearly leaning towards China in the struggle for influence in South Asia between India and China.   Even in Nepal which is a Hindu majority country, patriotism now means opposing the Indian domination. Recently we saw a growing conflict between the upper and the lower castes in Punjab after one of the religious leaders belonging to the lower caste was killed in Vienna in a Sikh Gurudwara. The lower castes [Dalits] are demanding more representation in the political, social and religious institutions which is compatible with their share of population.

The final battle between the established Western powers and the forces of    and the third World will most probably be fought in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The British took a severe beating in Afghanistan and the tribal area between Afghanistan and Pakistan.  The Russians were defeated in Afghanistan leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union.  America is also likely to receive the final blow in this area and cease to be the only superpower of the World.  Taliban are not only becoming stronger in Afghanistan but also are gaining in Pakistan.  An Islamic revolution in Pakistan similar to the one in Iran now looks like a strong possibility.  The contradiction between the Western elite and the ordinary people is becoming very acute there.

[The writer  is Chairman Washington State Network for Human Rights]

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Sri Lanka must end detention of refugees

THE Sri Lankan government should end the illegal detention of nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils displaced by the recently ended conflict in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Watch said on June 11.

For more than a year, the Sri Lankan government has detained virtually everyone - including entire families - displaced by the fighting in the north in military-run camps, in violation of international law. While the government has said that most would be able to return home by the end of the year, past government practice and the absence of any concrete plans for their release raises serious concerns about indefinite confinement, said Human Rights Watch.

"Treating all these men, women, and children as if they were Tamil Tiger fighters is a national disgrace," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "Displaced Tamil civilians have the same rights to liberty and freedom of movement as other Sri Lankans."

While the Sri Lankan authorities are expected to screen persons leaving the war zone to identify Tamil Tiger combatants, international law prohibits arbitrary detention and unnecessary restrictions on freedom of movement. This means that anyone taken into custody must be promptly brought before a judge and charged with a criminal offense or released. Although human rights law permits restrictions on freedom of movement for security reasons, the restrictions must have a clear legal basis, be limited to what is necessary, and be proportionate to the threat.

Since March 2008, the government of Sri Lanka has detained virtually all civilians fleeing areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam at so-called "welfare centers" and "transitional relief villages." A small number of camp residents, mainly the elderly, have been released to host families and institutions for the elderly. The vast majority, however, remain in detention. As of June 5, the United Nations reported that the authorities were keeping 278,263 people in detention in 40 camps in the four northern districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna, and Trincomalee.

A significant number of the detainees have close relatives in the region, with whom they could stay if they were allowed to leave.

"Many people are in the camps not because they have no other place to go," said Adams. "They are in the camps because the government does not allow them to leave."

Before the recent massive influx of displaced persons, the government proposed holding the displaced in camps for up to three years. According to the plan, those with relatives inside would be allowed to come and go after initial screening, but young or single people would not be allowed to leave. After international protests, the government said that it would resettle 80 percent of the displaced by the end of 2009. But the government's history of restricting the rights of displaced persons through rigid pass systems and strict restrictions on leaving the camps heightens concerns that they will be confined in camps much longer, possibly for years.

More than 2,000 people displaced from their homes in northwestern Mannar district by the fighting two years ago were released from the camps only in May, when the government said they could return to their homes.

Conditions in the camps are inadequate. Virtually all camps are overcrowded, some holding twice the number recommended by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Food distribution is chaotic, there are shortages of water, and sanitation facilities are inadequate. Camp residents do not have access to proper medical services and communicable diseases have broken out in the camps.

Since May 16, the military camp administration has imposed numerous restrictions on humanitarian organizations working in the camps, such as limiting the number of vehicles and staff members that can enter the camps, which has delayed the provision of much-needed aid. The military does not allow organizations into the camps to conduct protection activities, and a ban on talking to the camp residents leaves them further isolated. The military has also barred journalists from entering the camps except on organized and supervised tours.

"The poor conditions in the camps may worsen with the monsoon rains," said Adams. "Holding civilians who wish to move in with relatives and friends is irresponsible as well as unlawful."

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