KUALA LUMPUR: Socio-economic factors such as poverty and a lack of employment opportunities are some of the reasons for drug use among fishermen, said Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
Lee, who is also a former vice-president of the Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam), said most of them came from poor fishing families.
“Many of them live in squalid conditions, both in their dilapidated homes and on fishing boats.
“These are among the main factors that cause them to take drugs.”
Lee said previous media reports indicated that poverty and poor working conditions were among the factors that had prompted some fishermen to turn to drugs as a form of escapism.
“There were reports that fishermen could easily get drugs in their villages, and there were also cases where boat owners supplied the illegal substances.”
Lee said last August, National Anti-Drugs Agency (Nada) acting director-general Datuk Azizan Ariffin had said drug abuse was not a new problem among fishermen and that it was prevalent in Tok Bali (Kelantan), Kuala Kedah (Kedah) and Kuala Perlis (Perlis), which were known to be hotspots for drug addiction.
“I have received reports that boat owners or operators would give drugs such as pil kuda (methamphetamine pills) and syabu to their crew so that they would be able to endure harsh conditions at sea.”
He said Nada had found that the amount spent on drugs would be deducted from the fishermen’s pay.
“This is a vicious cycle that will eventually turn them into drug slaves.”
Lee said Persatuan Pengasih Malaysia had revealed that 60 to 70 per cent of the country’s fishermen were involved in drug abuse.
Lee said deep sea fishermen appeared to be vulnerable to sexually transmitted diseases due to the lack of sexual health literacy, access to healthcare and drug dependency.
Asked about the effectiveness of pre- and post-HIV test counselling, Lee said it could promote awareness of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and prevent these diseases from spreading.
“As of now, the level of awareness is very low. If this problem is not tackled, it can lead to bigger problems in the future as the fishermen could infect their spouses and children.”
Lee said Nada should launch a massive campaign with the help of the Health Ministry and other ministries and agencies, and support from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to boost awareness among fishermen.
“The enforcement agencies must also intensify efforts to cut off the supply of drugs to fishermen to reduce their dependence on these illegal substances,” he said.
The prevalence of drug abuse in Terengganu has prompted Komuniti Intervensi Dadah Malaysia (Komited), an NGO formed by ex-drug addicts, to distribute free syringes to hardcore addicts in the hope of minimising the transmission of diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis.
“We distribute syringes every Friday to prevent them from sharing needles and spreading the disease.
“We also want to address the adverse effects of drug abuse, such as its impact on society,” said Komited president Khalid Hashim.
Terengganu Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department chief Superintendent Roslan Tahir said police had been working with Nada to conduct raids on drug addicts, including fishermen who were involved in drug abuse.
He said his department was monitoring the Kuala Dungun fishermen jetty as it was one of the most notorious spots frequented by drug addicts in the state.
“Drug addicts will be referred to Nada, while traffickers will be arrested and charged,” he said.
Meanwhile, a 47-year-old fisherman, who wanted to be known only as Hamzah, said raids carried out by police and Nada on fishing villages seemed to have little or no effect because fishermen could avoid detection by taking drugs at sea.
“There are no raids by police and Nada at sea, so deep sea fishermen find it easier to get high,” he said.
“Some fishermen claim that enforcement personnel are their friends and will accept bribes to let them off.”
Hamzah said even if the drug addicts were caught and sent to rehabilitation centres, they would go back to using drugs when they were allowed to go home. He said police and Nada personnel also conducted urine tests regularly on fishermen, but that approach did not seem to be effective in curbing the problem. Additional reporting by Amirah Nabilah and Nurul Fazleen