September 1, 1998
WE CARE Just say 'Whoa!' ANTI-DRUGS CAMPAIGN: It might look like a day at the fun fair, but these kids are taking part in an unusual police education project Chompoo Trakullertsathien Pictures by Somkid Chaijitvanit NOT HORSING AROUND: This unconventional merry-go-round has won the hearts of Bangkok school students. It is a part of a new police initiative to reduce the use of amphetamines, known as "ya ma" or "horse pills", among youngsters. It took eleven strong men to set up the merry-go-round in the playground of Mahaveeranuwat School in Bangkok's Samphantawongse district. When the work was done, hundreds of students, unable to contain their excitement, rushed forward to stare in awe at the contraption. In front of them stood the only merry-go-round of its kind in the Kingdom. But there were no seats on the horses. No steel handles to hold on to. And no machines to turn the roundabout. And all the horses were real. The children waited patiently in a long queue for their turn as the five ma glab - a breed of small, hardy Thai horse - walked in a circle inside the white pavilion with elated kids on their backs. "It is the most wonderful merry-go-round I've ever played on. One time is never enough. I'm going to wait for my second turn," says 10-year-old Anuwat Rungsawang after dismounting from a pony. This unconventional merry-go-round has won the hearts of hundreds of children in many elementary schools in Bangkok who have never had the chance to ride a horse or even to touch one of the animals before. The merry-go-round is the brainchild of Pol Lt Col Wutiwong Mongkolnavin of the Royal Thai Mounted Police. It is part of an amphetamine-suppression project called "Ma Mee Cheewit Pichit Ma Med", meaning "A Real Horse Conquering Amphetamines". Amphetamines are called "ya ma" in Thai, meaning "horse pills", because of their supposed power to make users "as strong as a horse", enabling them to work around the clock without a rest, or dance all night. Amphetamines are also known as "ya ba", or "crazy pills". For the last two months, Pol Lt Col Wutiwong and his team have been taking their live carousel to a different elementary school in Bangkok each week to campaign against the use of amphetamines. After learning about the disastrous effects of the so-called horse pills and how they can say no to them, the kids are rewarded with a ride on a real horse on the merry-go-round. The idea for the project came to Pol Lt Col Wutiwong after realising the futility of conventional drug suppression activities. Despite so many arrests, police efforts have failed to curtail drug use among the young. On the contrary, amphetamines, or "speed", have become more prevalent than ever. The arrest of suppliers, meanwhile, has pushed up the price of the drug to about 120 baht a tablet, he says. As a policeman who worked on narcotics suppression for the Crime Suppression Division for 20 years, Pol Lt Col Wutiwong says he has been haunted by such failures. He came to his own conclusions about what needs to be done. "The missing link is that we have done very little to fortify our youths, who are a high-risk group, from becoming new victims," says the 43-year-old police officer. Although his present position with the Royal Thai Mounted Police has nothing to do with narcotics suppression, he has not given up his personal crusade against drugs. His awareness of drug problems among children started 20 years ago when he was a volunteer in various community development projects in Bangkok slums . "I had a chance to get to know children in slums when I was teaching them to read and write. I found that narcotics were one of the biggest problems. Many children became addicted because their parents were drug addicts. I promised myself to do something to get the children out of the vicious cycle," recalls the soft-spoken officer. Now, as deputy commander of the Royal Thai Mounted Police, his dream has come true. Knowing that it is difficult to hold the children's short attention span, Pol Lt Col Wutiwong decided to use ma glab as bait. "Most children love horses. And once we have the children's attention, we can educate them to say no to drugs," he explains. He first saw a live merry-go-round when he visited the Czech Republic last year. Adapting it for Thai children, he chose ma glab because of its small size. His team of volunteers consists of 25 mounted police who, as part of their preparation for the campaign, have attended courses on amphetamines and their effects. The seven horses, meanwhile, were donated by their owners to the anti-amphetamine project. It took two and a half months to train the horses in such skills as rhythmic walking and staying calm when working with a crowd of excited children. "Our horses have also been trained not to be frightened by strange lights and sounds during their outdoor trips to the schools. The training includes throwing plastic bags at them or blasting them with loud sounds," says Pol Lt Col Wutiwong. "Their last lesson is to bring them to the street so they get used to noise and chaotic surroundings," adds horse trainer Pol Sgt Mitrchai Soda. Each school visit lasts about five hours. It starts with informing the children about the dangers of drug use through display boards featuring grim pictures of drug addicts. After that, the children sign their names in a book which records all the children who join the project. Before the merry-go-round fun, however, the children line up in front of the flag pole and vow not to get involved with amphetamines. Afterwards, the children's homework is to write a report to their teacher about their experience as a participant in the anti-drug programme. The headmaster of Mahaveeranuwat School, Chingchai Thaidej, supports the police initiative. "It is our duty to prevent the children from becoming addicted to drugs," he says, adding that the merry-go-round idea works like magic with the kids. "We had tried before to educate our pupils in our own conventional way and it was clear that the children were not interested," he says. STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH: Pol Lt Col Wutiwong Mongkolnavin -- "I strongly believe that prevention is better than cure. Or suppression." "It also makes me feel good to see that there are still good police trying to do some good for society." In the course of his work, Pol Lt Col Wutiwong is often saddened at what he learns from the children, especially those from poor families. "When I ask the children whether they know anything about amphetamines, many say they know them well because they see their parents taking them almost every morning. "The more they are around drug users, the greater the chances they will start using themselves. We have to guide them to walk the correct path and give them immunity," he says. Pol Lt Col Wutiwong assesses the effectiveness of the project every three months with input from the headmasters of participating schools. Children in the highest-risk group, those whose parents are drug addicts or sellers, receive special attention from teachers. Working in their free time, the team has visited 10 elementary schools and many slums in Klong Toey, Sukhapibal I and Bang Khae over the past two months. In the near future, Pol Lt Col Wutiwong plans to take his merry-go-round to the provinces. He also plans to launch another project called "Yaovachon Rak Ma Tan Ya Septid" (Horse-Loving Youths Are Agaist Drugs) targetting teenagers. Bigger horses will be chosen for the merry-go-round. The expenses for each school or slum visit are currently paid for out of Pol Lt Col Wutiwong's own pocket. To expand his work, however, he is recruiting more volunteers and asking for donations of more horses. Although his drug education programme has still not shown concrete results, Pol Lt Col Wutiwong says he can wait to harvest the fruits of his hard work. "I strongly believe that prevention is better than cure. Or suppression. Also, prevention needs no weapons. What works best is knowing children's psychology". Education, he says, is like planting trees: "We have to be patient and wait for the fruits of our labour. I am hopeful because I believe what I do today is for a better tomorrow." Info for donations: Name of organisation: Royal Thai Mounted Police Address: Royal Thai Mounted Police, Bangborn, Bangkok 10150 Founder of the project: Pol Lt Col Wutiwong Mongkolnavin Tel: (02) 895-3343, 895-3333 Apart from cash donations, you can donate milk for the children or volunteer your time to work for the merry-go-round programme.		Classifieds Jobs Property Entertainment Investment Education Travel Sales Learn English Weekly Database Horizons NiteOwl Student Weekly Real Time Special We Care Street Art Back Issues Last Month Archive Company Servcies Subscriptions Advertising Annual Report
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