パラオも色々と動いている。麻薬問題、謎のフェリー、そして中国人のニュースを紹介します。
まずは昨年末突如現れた謎のフェリーThe Xian Ni 。
フィリピンのサルベージ会社が先週やっと引き上げたようである。
なぜか大統領府のFBには写真だけで、記事がない。
（参考）
なぜ突如現れたのか？そこが全く追求されていない。
（参考）
次に、大統領がパラオに入国する下記の中国人を指名し、入国を拒否する通知を出した。
昨年から急増した中国人観光客の件で一番の問題は、観光客としてやって来る中国人が、さまざまな違法活動を行うことである。
しかし、当然彼等の違法活動にはパラオ現地有力者のカウンターパートがいるわけである。
ここはあやふやなままのようで、市民からは不満の声が出ている。
大統領府は顔写真まで公開している。
Hong Chen, Passport No. E31088336, date of birth May 20, 1965, a female citizen of China.
最後に麻薬の話。
Santy Asanuma氏がコラムを書いた。（下記にコピー）
パラオは９歳の子供まで平気でマリファナに手を出すそうである。
誰もしからない。違法だけどしかるのは警察くらい。
学校に行けば簡単に手に入るのだそうだ。
Asanuma氏は、これではいけない、と国全体で対処すべし、と声をあげている。
マリファナの次はアイスである。もうこれも既にパラオに充満しているという。
この問題の背景にはマリファナで収益を得ているパラオの大人達がいる事であろう。
当方の想像であるが、政治リーダーである可能性もある。
タックスヘブン、マネロン、麻薬。。 小島嶼国が共通に抱える問題である。
南半球最大の麻薬工場はフィジーにあった。
日本人犠牲者を出したグアムでの殺人事件は若いチャド・デソト犯人が薬漬けであった事を覚えている人も多いのではなかろうか。
MARIJUANA LEADING TO ICE IN PALAU
By Santy Asanuma
Ngarker Olbechel, Tia Belau
23 Nov 2015
Marijuana is like driving a car really fast. We know that there are going to be bad consequence but most of the time we drive car at dangerously high speed and we get to our destinations without any accident. In fact, the rush (ungil a rengud) from the physical speed of the car and mental daring and escaping the odds of getting injured even getting killed is a short-lived high every time we do it. No logic to it at all. But this is how the brain of a young person sees it, especially teenagers. They see the world in terms of what is fun and exciting. And smoking Marijuana is down-right fun without any real harm in their mind because each time they do it they do not realize the harm done. But just like the speeding car the stakes, complexity, and daring continues to get higher in order to maintain the fun or high exciting.
Palau’s teenagers even pre-teenagers (as young as 9 years old and hopefully not younger than that) are told in what they see around them in our society that Marijuana is socially acceptable regardless of the laws against it. To them it is only the police, who do not want them to smoke it, but the rest of society is silent. By default (diak dokerang), Palauan society is not opposed to it. In fact, the presence of Marijuana is like it is natural by implying that it is harmless in the mind of most Palauans. This attitude towards Marijuana has been perceived and internalized (mla metechirr) by elementary and high school age students as such; therefore, not a problem to worry about. This is the social environment in Palau that basically tantamount to approval of Marijuana in our society. Every Palauan living in Palau is at fault.
The analysis. Being young the brain is not fully developed until the age of 25 years old. The prefrontal lobe of the brain that is in charge of determining the consequence of one’s action is the last to be developed. So during this time young people use Amygdala which is the center of emotions to make decision. Enough science. In short, their decisions do not include too much logic (cherungel e ungil beldukl a uchul el uldasu) that parents and other grown-up people use in making decisions. Little wonder the youth are drawn to living in a rush state because they cannot by themselves understand the danger that their actions put them in. Anything that is fun and exciting appeals to the young mind so they are more daring to try anything thinking it will not harm them each time. Marijuana is fun and exciting.
The social side of Marijuana. It is a plant and grows easily in abundance so it is widely available. Moreover, it has been suggested even by elected leaders that it be made acceptable for medicinal purposes making it less evil in terms of harm in the mind of especially the youth. Furthermore, being fairly cheap and within the student allowance or lunch money, the economic deterrence is not there for them to think hard about it. And the fact that they are widely available makes it very easy to get. It is commonly known to be available in most campuses in Palau. There is no obstacle whatsoever in our society to slow down or stop the youth from smoking weed. The grow-ups in this matter are no help either!
The solution. We must cut through the shit mentality (sorry for choice of word) and reverse it because this is a mind game. At this point, one person against it is not enough. Parents literally are sending their children to schools and community that basically condone smoking weed. Doctors, dentists, lawyers, teachers, nurses, engineers, pilots, judges, senators, delegates, priests, pastors, nuns, businessmen, athletes, parents and all men and women must individually and collectively stand up and clearly speak out against Marijuana. And to convince the young that they did not smoke Marijuana and succeeded in school or declare that they cannot succeed being stoned while performing their careers and professions. Remember Marijuana literally fries the human brain each time you smoke it, especially for undeveloped brains in pre-teen and teen children. So let us not kid our nation only to find our kids graduate from Marijuana and be promoted to Ice. How can all the combined smart people in Palau lose the war to the dope heads selling this shit to our kids? As of this writing, ice is becoming plenty in Palau.
