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Published on April 4, 2008

The Forum brought together representatives from local NGOs, regional and international NGOs, the UN and research institutes.

The meeting came in the wake of Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung's announcement in February of the resumption of the "war on drugs". Chalerm was reported in the Thai media as stating that he will follow former prime minister Thaksin's hard-line approach to drug control.

When it was launched in 2003, Thaksin's "war on drugs" resulted in over 2,800 extra-judicial killings of suspected drug users. It was heavily criticised both locally and internationally.

There are fears among civil society representatives that the new drug control strategy will drive drug users further underground, away from services that can save lives, and that additional lives may be lost in the name of drug control. The incoming government announced the launch of the new national drug control policy for April 2.

"Drug suppression is nothing new. It has been happening for decades, but only recently have a growing number of drug-user organisations and NGOs started paying attention. It is critical to monitor what is happening and get the government to address the problem humanely and comprehensively," said Karyn Kaplan, policy and development director of the Thai Aids Treatment Action Group (TTAG).

"Previously, no one gave much attention to drug users. Almost 50 per cent of injecting drug users are living with HIV and the number has not decreased in the past two decades. Yet, the government fails to respond to the issue," she added.

Although Thailand's efforts to respond to HIV and Aids have received worldwide recognition, injecting drug users (IDUs) cannot access appropriate health services and social care. They still face high rates of HIV transmission, including in prison, where rates of HIV among IDUs can be twice that among IDUs never incarcerated.

"The current narcotic control policy makes the future look worrisome. But we are thankful that there are many organisations getting involved and informed of the situation," said Sakda Puekchai, chairperson of the Thai Drug Users' Network.

"If the war on drugs starts again, there is no doubt that our members will be forced to go underground, and will not be reached by health services, giving rise to new HIV cases," he said. Sakda added that research should be undertaken to fully understand the needs of drug users.

"Drug users need to be effectively engaged. The authorities need to get facts directly from drug users. At the moment, the voices of drug users are not heard, and they have no role in policy making and programming," he said.

 Wiwat Tami, Coordinator of the Network for the Health of Ethnic Groups in the Highlands said the government's drug policies were informed by stereotypical views of certain groups within society. For instance, Thai ethnic groups are perceived to be potential drug dealers and therefore seen as a threat to national security.

"The war on drugs caused a lot of social disruption within the ethnic community. Many families were affected, some women were widowed and children were orphaned," said Wiwat.

"Widowed women were forced into risky transactional sex in an effort to support their families," he added.

Even though government officials have vowed not to violate human rights or to use violence in the application of the drug control strategy following Chalerm's announcement, civil society groups are worried for their constituents' health and safety.

There was consensus during the Forum that an appropriate response to the drug situation requires a balanced multi-sectoral, integrated and comprehensive approach that respects fundamental human rights within the scope of international conventions.

 "I am happy that there are many organisations that have come together to mobilise on the issue. This is a good sign for drug users. Drug users themselves find it difficult to mobilise, even though we are directly affected by the policy," said Sakda.

Although representatives stressed the need for dialogue, the following recommendations were made in regards to the new drug control policy:

 The new drug control policy should be balanced and bring in lessons from the HIV and Aids sector, including how civil society involvement has improved the national response; There is a greater balance required between enforcement and health provisions.

More resources should be allocated to prevention and treatment; The development of effective drug control policies should involve those most affected by the policy, notably people who use drugs; Harm-reduction services should be a component in the policy to complement supply- and demand-reduction efforts; All stakeholders should invest in developing safe spaces for drug users where services and support are available; Drug control is everybody's business - not just law enforcement - and requires multi-sectoral buy-in from health professionals, education specialists and teachers, the media and local communities;

The government and civil society should work together on developing an evidence-based, comprehensive, harm-reduction roll-out plan in order to reduce the impact of drugs while ensuring that appropriate and effective services and support are available. It is with these recommendations that the participants at the Forum came up with an important message to disseminate:

 "As civil society and drug-user representatives, we ask that you talk to us, meet with us and listen to us."

 The Chiang Mai NGO Forum was facilitated by the Asian Harm-Reduction Network, the Thai Harm Reduction Network, the Thai Aids Treatment Action Group, the Health and Development Networks, and supported by UNAIDS.

Duangkamol Donchaum

The Nation