Narinjara News, March 29, 2023

Under the Military Council’s governance following the coup, there has been a significantincrease in the trade of WYstimulant tablets (containing a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine) in Rakhine State, and their use amongyoung people has been on the rise, according to locals.

Alsoknown locally as Asichay, used to be priced at 1000 kyat per tablet. Howeversince the coup, the price hasdropped to approximately 500 kyat, making it far more affordable, andincreasing its consumption amonglocal youth.

A Rakhine youth who has had the experience of using these WYtablets commented, “With the easeof purchasing WY Tablets, it’sconcerning to see kids as young as 15 or 16 using them.

Prolonged usage of these tablets can have a negative impacton one’s health in thelong run. Personally I haveexperienced regrettable consequences from using them. It’s important to remember that becoming obsessed with these tablets can cause usto lose sight of the future”, he warned.

“The trade of WY tablets in Rakhine State often leads toarrests, but typically only small-scale sellersare apprehended, while the large-scale drug dealers continue to operate withimpunity. As a result, this formof illicit trade remains rampant in the region,” he added.

“The individuals responsible for distributing and sellingtablets are often the same ones who have beenin the business since the beginning. Despite arrests being made, the majorityof those apprehended are low-leveldealers without any real leadership role. Even these individuals are often released soon after and go backto their previous occupations, allowing the tablet market  tocontinueoperating at full speed without slowing down”, he pointed out.

The Military Council’s ability or will to control drug trafficking in the region israpidly declining, leading to thewidespread availability of WY tablets, and this has resulted in an increase inthe number of young people usingthe drug, leading to a surge in crimes such as robbery and theft, according to locals.

Locals also voiced their concerns regarding the unimpededflow of WY tablets across Military Councilcheckpoints and into Rakhine State, making the drug easily accessible to youngpeople in the area. Sittwe, thecapital of Rakhine State, is part of an alarming trend of young people engaging in the use and trade of WY tablets, more so thanother cities in the region.

In certain deserted areas of the city, the use of this drugcan even be observed during daytime hours, indicating a serious problem. 

A young adult woman from Sittwe expressed concern toNarinjara regarding the need for better regulation and enforcement of the sale of WY tablets in Rakhine State, due to the risingnumber of users.

“The use of WY tabletshas been increasing, especially among teenagers, due to their increasedavailability and lack of propermanagement and control. This has led to an increase in related crimes, such astheft and robbery, as drug usersturn to illegal means to fund their addiction.

In Sittwe, the proliferation of such crimes has become a concern, and requires attention. Implementing stronger anti-drug laws and enforcement mayhelp reduce the problem to some extent”, she said.

In addition to big cities, drug use conditions in ruralareas are still as the same as before the coup, locals suggested.

“The current drug use situation appears to be stable, withno significant increase. The majority of users are young people.While there were many drug users in the past, the efforts of the ArakanArmy (AA) to make arrests and takeaction have helped to reduce drug use. Although it’s possible that some people continue to use drugs behind the scenes, atleast they are no longer using them openly in public like before”, a Minbay resident said.

Rakhine State has become a transit point for the illegalexportation of methamphetamine tablets toneighboring Bangladesh. Unfortunately, this has led to the emergence ofillicit markets for the trading of these tablets within Rakhine State, which hasresulted in an increase in th consumption of these tablets by young people inboth urban and rural areas.