Only legal action can never salvage the society from these social disorders. The government needs to initiate massive campaign program in mass media with the goal of educating the people about the adverse affects of such drug addiction or pre-marital sexual relations. -File Image
by Mehnab Khan
(November 19, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) Since sex education is taboo in countries like Bangladesh, many of the teen agers, especially girls fall victim of such situation, thus finally ending up into severe mental trauma or physical complications. Most of the young girls, who find themselves into romantic relations during such important time, ultimately bear severe mental and physical stain being either raped by their male partners, or even sexually abused. In most cases, those victim teen age girls even fail to report such incidents to their parents or friends, fearing social adversities. Ultimately, such incidents turn into mere nightmare in their life, which may even end up in drug addiction, perversion or even suicidal tendencies.
In Bangladeshi society, pre-marital virginity is very important for girls, especially this issue is given high priority by most of the husbands. If for any reason, the husband senses that his newly wedded wife was not a virgin, post-marital quarrel and series of family adversities throughout rest of the marital life. In some cases, even this ends up with unhappy married life or divorce. Many women, being ignored or humiliated by their husbands for not being 'virgin' while married, find refuge in drug addiction or even become morally pervert. And due to lack of sex education, many ultimately bear sexually transmitted disease including HIV. Moreover, some girls, being in romantic relations at teen age, get pregnant, due to lack of proper knowledge on using protective methods.
In recent years, tendency of drug addiction is increasing in Bangladesh society. Even few years back, when a large proportion of youths were found addicted to Phensedyl cough linctus, in recent time ever a larger section of the same group are seen getting addicted to Yaba. Phensedyl though already banned in Bangladesh many years back, it is still coming to this country from factories set within cross-border areas by a number of unscrupulous traders and even Indian intelligence agency, with the ulterior goal of damaging Bangladeshi society. More precisely, several factories located near the Indian border and some at the no man’s land produce phensedyl particularly for the Bangladesh market using a higher amount of codeine. The phensedyl produced as a cough syrup in India has five per cent codeine phosphate among other combinations, whereas the ones produced at the border factories have a mixture of 20 per cent codeine. Prior to its prohibition in Bangladesh, phensedyl was produced by May & Baker (India) Ltd. The company in 1990 changed its name from May & Baker to Rhone Poulenc (India) Ltd. In 2000, Rhone Poulenc merged with Nicholas Piramal India Ltd and since then Nicholas is the primary producer of phensedyl. Yaba tablets are made of methamphetamine and caffeine and initially came to Bangladesh market from Thailand. Yaba is sometimes called "Bhul Bhuliya" in India. The name commonly used for it in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan is "shabu". In North Thailand it is often referred to as "Chocaleee" due to a somewhat sweet taste Yaba pills leave in the mouth. Methamphetamine is also known as "Nazi speed", a reference to its widespread use (under the brand name "Pervitin") in Nazi Germany's military during World War II.
Yaba is typically produced in a round pill form. They are brightly colored in red, orange or lime green and carry logos such as "R" or "WY". They are small and round, roughly 6mm in diameter (similar size to Smint but round), and are packed inside a regular drinking straw for easy trafficking or in a reusable 'mint' container.
Yaba tablets were sold at gas stations and commonly used by Thai truckers to stay awake. After many horrific long-distance bus accidents, they were outlawed by the Thai government in 1970. The deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s campaign from 2003 onwards to eliminate drug-trafficking has further helped to curtail widespread use; in particular, use of the drug by bus drivers is not as widespread as it was in 1980's. In Bangladesh, most of the inter-district truck and bus drivers intake Yaba tablets, which again is one of the main reasons of road accidents. After effects of Yaba addiction include irritability, insomnia, impotence, confusion, tremors, convulsions, anxiety, paranoia, and aggressiveness.
Initially Yaba was entering Bangladesh territory from Chiang Mei province in Thailand via Myanmar. Later, infamous industrialist in Bangladesh, Aziz Mohammad Bhai established a Yaba pill production factory at Dhaka’s Gulshan area with his nephew named Amin Huda, who later was known as ‘Yaba King’. Aziz Mohammad Bhai was using a huge network of society girls and prostitutes in circulating Yaba to Bangladeshi youths and dealers. Though Bangladeshi law enforcing agencies busted the Yaba production factory of Aziz Bhai-Amin Huda duo and arrested Amin Huda along with thousands of Yaba tablets and the machine to manufacture it, the later managed to get released from prison by heavily compensating authorities concerned. There has never been any conviction to Amin Huda for running such illicit trade right within the heart of the capital city.
Students of schools, college and universities are also getting addicted to Yaba and a large number of artistes in film, drama and music sectors in Bangladesh are already Yaba addicts. Some of the infamous Yaba addicts are, Tinni, Srabonti, Simla etc. Yaba addiction has not only become a huge threat to younger generation in Bangladesh, it is also a potential threat to Bangladesh’s cultural arena as well as other sectors.
Only legal action can never salvage the society from these social disorders. The government needs to initiate massive campaign program in mass media with the goal of educating the people about the adverse affects of such drug addiction or pre-marital sexual relations. Social taboo in discussing sexual issues should be replaced with proper sex education, which will help the younger generation as well as the remaining population in the country from getting bogged into various forms of STDs and HIV.
Mehnab Khan is a free lance columnist writing on regional and international issues.
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