World Drug Day: Lack of ASEAN Cooperation Fuels Exploitation of Low-level Couriers by Drug Trafficking Syndicates

Today, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) marks the World Drug Day with a call to promote international cooperation in developing and implementing evidence-based strategies for combating drug trafficking and organised crime. It stresses collaboration among governments, organisations, and communities to achieve this. 

It is therefore more crucial than ever to encourage strength within existing ASEAN mechanisms towards a harm reductionist and rights-based approach in combating drug trafficking and organised crime. This includes, among others, abolishing the death penalty for drug offences and pursuing intergovernmental collaboration that would foster repatriation of exploited persons.  

We the undersigned organisations call for:

1. ASEAN member states to take action towards the abolition of the death penalty for drug offences;

2. ASEAN member states to revisit existing mechanisms with a harm reductionist and rights based approach in combating transnational drug trafficking;

3. ASEAN member states to pursue intergovernmental collaboration that would foster the repatriation of low-level couriers or other individuals who were victimised or exploited by transnational crime organisations;

4. The UNODC and its regional offices consistently stand against the use of the death penalty and torture for drug offences in Southeast Asia.

Our full joint statement is accessible here.

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Endorsed by:

1. HAYAT, Malaysia

2. Suara Rakyat Malaysia

3. NoBox Philippines

4. Lembaga Bantuan Hukum Masyarakat (LBHM), Indonesia

5. Reprieve