10 April 2016 Disclaimer This bulletin is a collection of publicly available sources authored by third parties. It has not been formally edited and is not an official UNODC document. It is intended to foster dialogue and stimulate discussion on drugs & health in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. The views and opinions presented in the sources herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UNODC. Accordingly, UNODC Highlights takes no responsibility for the content. All intellectual property appearing in the articles belong to the respective owners. o Indonesian president defends death penalty for drug crimes o > 130,000 drug users in are registered since 2010 o New HepC treatment to be tested in Malaysia & o Chinese researchers successfully modify human embryos to become HIV-resistant, amid ethical concerns o looks to reduce HIV/ AIDS death rates

Country specifics

SE Asia & Pacific 2 2 3

Indonesia 4 Malaysia 5 5 Vietnam 5 World 6

News Bulletin Drugs, Health & More10 Southeast Asia and The Pacific Region A Study Claims that People with HIV are Expelled from Hospitals in Asia Science News Hub, April 19 Asia health workers refuse to perform surgery and care for people infected with HIV, even expel patients from hospitals and forcing women to be sterilized, according to a study by the organization Asia Catalyst. In China and Vietnam, the recommendations have changed to move operations to recommend topical and oral medication, while in Burma and Cambodia HIV patients are segregated in the medical centers. “Fear and lack of information in the medical establishment is seen,” lamented Gareth Durrant, director of community initiatives and management capabilities Asia Catalyst. Combination HepC Treatment Tested In Malaysia, Thailand Asian Scientist, April 19 The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) and the Egyptian drug manufacturer Pharco Pharmaceuticals have signed agreements covering the clinical testing and scale-up of a hepatitis C treatment regimen at a price of just under US$300. As soon as the necessary approvals are received, DNDi will be launching clinical trials to test a combination treatment of the drug candidate ravidasvir and the registered hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir in pan-genotypic patient populations in Malaysia and Thailand. Meth smuggled into , produced in Malaysia: Official Antara News, April 16 Crystal methamphetamine smuggled into and distributed in Indonesia was produced in Malaysia, and the raw materials came from China, according to an official of the National Narcotic Agency (BNN). "Based on investigations, the raw materials of methamphetamine were from China, produced in Malaysia and marketed in Indonesia," Deputy BNN in charge of the Public Empowerment Ins. Gen. Bahtiar Tambunan said here, Saturday.

Cambodia Transgender Cambodians at Higher Risk for HIV Infection Cambodia Daily, April 20 The rate of HIV infection among Cambodia’s transgender women is nearly six times higher than the national average, according to the results of a 2012 survey published in the online journal PLOS ONE this month. Researchers supported by USAID interviewed and tested some 891 transgender women—individuals who were born as males, but identify as women or as a third gender—aged 18 and older, and found an HIV infection rate of 4.15 percent, compared to 0.7 percent for the general population.

Page 2 News Bulletin Drugs, Health & More10

Women Jailed for Running Drug Den Khmer Times, April 19 The owner and the manager of a massage parlor that doubled as a drug den in central Phnom Penh were convicted of drug-related charges by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday, court officials said. The two women sold crystal meth at the massage parlor and provided space and pipes for users to smoke the drug, according to the verdict. NGO Worker Tried for Drug Trafficking Khmer Times, April 18 An NGO worker at an orphanage and his wife were tried by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court yesterday over allegations they distributed and encouraged local youths to smoke crystal methamphetamine in their rental house in Phnom Penh’s Khan Po Sen Chey district last August.

China The Pwer of Prevention News China, April 14 Official statistics suggest that as of last October, there were 575,000 people living with HIV in China, and hospitals had recorded a total of 177,000 deaths from AIDS complications. 15 provinces are home to more than 10,000 AIDS patients, while HIV prevalence among those aged 15 to 24 has hit 1.6 percent of the total number of registered cases, with 2,552 young people living with HIV in 2014, up from 482 in 2008, a more than fivefold increase. Chinese researchers successfully make HIV-resistant cells The China Post, April 14 China's top geneticists say the country should set its own standards and regulations on human genome research, state-run media reported Wednesday, as ethical debate erupted over a Chinese study on modified human embryos. Researchers from Guangzhou Medical University said they used a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR to artificially induce a mutation in human cells and make them resistant to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. China to Punish Hundreds in Vaccine Scandal Wall Street Journal, April 13 China will punish 357 officials implicated in the sale of improperly handled vaccines, a scandal that has reignited drug safety fears and further eroded trust in the country’s public health system. Officials found to have been involved will be fired or demoted, and criminal charges may be filed against some of them, the government’s state-controlled news agency, Xinhua, said Thursday, citing an announcement from China’s cabinet, the State Council.

Page 3 News Bulletin Drugs, Health & More10 Indonesia Indonesia prepares for new round of executions Sydney Morning Herald, April 20 Indonesian prison authorities have been told to prepare for another round of executions on the penal island of Nusakambangan almost a year after eight drug offenders - including Australians Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran- were killed by firing squad. "We have been informed there will be one [execution round]," Molyanto, the head of the Central Java prison division, told Fairfax Media. Indonesia is doubling down on one of the harshest drug laws in the world Business Insider, April 18 Indonesia's president is defending his country's use of the death penalty for drug offenses, arguing that drug abuse constitutes an emergency. Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and more than 130 people on death row, mostly for drug crimes. Authorities recently said Indonesia is preparing to execute more foreigners convicted of drug offenses. Executions last year caused an international outcry. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said Monday that "Indonesia currently has an emergency, above all in drug abuse." He said 30-50 people a day die in Indonesia because of drugs. Indonesian president defends death penalty for drug crimes Daily Mail, April 18 Indonesia's president is defending his country's use of the death penalty for drug offenses, arguing that drug abuse constitutes an emergency. Indonesia has extremely strict drug laws and more than 130 people on death row, mostly for drug crimes. Authorities recently said Indonesia is preparing to execute more foreigners convicted of drug offenses. Executions last year caused an international outcry. Rights activists demand Indonesia end use of death penalty UCA News, April 14 Anti-death penalty activists are urging the Indonesian government to stop killing prisoners after reports emerged that the government is preparing its next round of executions. The Indonesia Coalition on the Abolition of Death Penalty said in an April 13 statement that Indonesia should move with other countries toward a world that bans "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” The statement noted that Indonesia ratified the U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1998.

Page 4 News Bulletin Drugs, Health & More10 Malaysia

More than 130,000 drug addicts in Malaysia to date, figures show New Straits Times, April 19 A total of 131,841 drug addicts have been registered in Malaysia between January 2010 and February this year, said the Home Ministry. Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in a reply to Datuk Koh Chin Han (MCA-Melaka) said according to a report released by the National Drug Information System, National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK), from the total drug addicts, 127,797 were men and 4,044 were women. Cycle of awareness New Straits Times, April 18 Three Nepalese cyclists are on a world tour promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS and the environment, writes Aneeta Sundararaj. Amrit was in Malaysia recently with with his brother, Ajit, and their friend, Shankar Poudel, as part of their World Bicycle Tour which began in six months ago. They plan to cycle through 100 countries in five years and, in the process, raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and the environment. They will use other modes of transportation only when it’s absolutely necessary.

Philippines

Gov’t employee yields illegal drugs worth Php 200,000 Northbound Philippines, April 17 A government employee yielded an illegal drug Shabu (Methamphetamine Hydrochloride), with a street value of Php 200,000, during a buy bust in Bukidnon, authorities reported Saturday. Wilkins Villanueva, Regional Director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Northern Mindanao, identified the suspect as Romeo L. Flores of Poblacion Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.

Vietnam

Health sector aims to reduce infectious disease death rate Viet Nam News, April 14 The Ministry of Health has set a target to reduce the rate of deaths caused by dangerous infectious diseases in the 2016-20 period. The target was announced by the ministry’s head of Planning and Finance Department, Nguyễn Nam Liên, at a conference yesterday. The projects include expanding vaccinations; population and development; food safety; HIV/AIDS prevention and control; safe blood and blood-related disease prevention and control; and media management on healthcare.

Page 5 News Bulletin Drugs, Health & More10 World

Drug prohibition's the issue Independent Online, April 19 FOR the first time in 20 years, the has convened a special session on “the world drug problem” amid fierce international debate about whether drug users should primarily be punished or rehabilitated. After two decades, and a trillion or so dollars later, the “war on drugs” approach of criminalising drug users has failed to prevent the distribution and use of illegal drugs. Many countries and organisations are calling for the global approach to be tilted in favour of “harm reduction” strategies that help drug users to deal with their addiction, rather than imprisoning them. Only 40 Percent of American HIV Patients Get the Care They Need Daily Beast, April 19 Whether insidious or in-your-face, stigma affects people’s lives. It discourages people from getting tested for HIV, sharing their HIV positive status with loved ones, and seeking care and sticking to treatment. These experiences are not few and far between. As of 2011, in the U.S. only about 40 percent of people living with HIV are receiving the medical care they need to stay healthy, and reduce the risk of onward transmission of HIV. Stigma contributes to this statistic. Stigma, lack of health care, fake drugs impeding HIV fight, speakers say Catholic News Service, April 14 The fight against HIV/AIDS is being hampered by continued stigma against those who are infected, a lack of access to appropriate medical care and fake antiretroviral drugs pedaled on the black market, said activists taking part in a Caritas Internationalis conference. Hepatitis C treatment at a fraction of the cost to be available soon The Star Online, April 14 Affordable Hepatitis C treatment will soon be available for patients once trials on generic drugs are completed. The non-profit Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), of which the Malaysian Health Ministry is a founding member, and Egyptian drug manufacturer Pharco Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday signed agreements covering clinical testing and scale-up of a Hepatitis C treatment regimen at a price of just under US$300 (RM1,166) at the International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain.

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