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Newsbrief:
Philippine
Travel
Advisory
6/18/04
With Filipino politicians
competing with each other to come up with ever more severe measures to
combat drug use and trafficking, the Philippines is deep in the throes
of a full-blown anti-drug hysteria. Motivated primarily by an effort
to stamp out methamphetamine, or "shabu," as it is known locally, the Philippine
drug war also targets other illicit drugs, including marijuana, and has
led to mass arrests, massive drug testing, and death squad-style executions
of suspected drug offenders (https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle-old/236/vigilantes.shtml).
Now, according to a report in the Manila People's Journal, Philippine drug
fighters are turning a jaundiced eye toward foreign tourists and resorts
popular with young Westerners.
The newspaper quoted Philippine
Drug Enforcement Agency undersecretary Anselmo Avenido Jr. as saying his
agency, styled after its US name-sake, has stepped up efforts to find and
arrest tourists bringing even personal recreational amounts of illicit
drugs along with them on vacation. "We're regularly conducting 'profiling
of individuals' who might be carriers of dangerous drugs even in small
quantities," he said.
According to Avenido, police
have arrested "a number" of foreign tourists for smuggling small amounts
of drugs into the country in the last two years. Police had reports
of shabu, marijuana, and ecstasy sales on Boracay Island, he added.
Boracay, home of decadent nightlife as well as stunning beaches, is a popular
destination among travelers on the Southeast Asian leg of the hippie trail.
But while the Philippines, like many of its Southeast Asian neighbors,
remains in the grip of harsh prohibitionist drug policies, travelers might
want to think twice.
-- END --
|
Issue #342, 6/18/04
Editorial: Which Cops Would You Pick for Your Town? |
Major Religious Denominations Increase Pressure on Congress for Medical Marijuana |
Atlantic City Challenges Attorney General, Passes Needle Exchange Ordinance |
Swiss Parliament Rejects Marijuana Legalization |
All That Is Solid Melts Into Air: Oaksterdam Disappearing... for Now |
Newsbrief: Federal Judge Whitman Knapp Dead at 95 -- Exposed Police Corruption, Opposed Drug War Excess |
Newsbrief: Canadian Marijuana Party in Unique Campaign Finance Scheme |
Newsbrief: Philippine Travel Advisory |
Newsbrief: Coca Tea Drinker Fired After Drug Test Wins Job Back |
Newsbrief: ACLU Sues Detroit Over School Drug Raids |
Newsbrief: Portugal Uses Reefer to Calm Soccer Hooligans |
This Week in History |
Web Scan: Richard Paey in Weekly Planet, Conference Photographs |
The Reformer's Calendar
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