Monday, March 17, 2008

Goa, The Drug Haven?

Every time I look at the photo I cant help but feel a twinge of regret

Young carefree girl, looking for an emotional anchor

Wants to have fun, wants to know where her life is leading and hungering for love.

15 years old, drugs and sex

she should have been in school

her mother was receiving grants from the govt so that her kids go to school

so why wasn’t she?

Jug Suriya talks about legalizing drugs in Goa.

If drugs were not banned, would Scarlett Keeling, the British teenager who was raped and murdered in Goa, be alive today? Perhaps.

It was not drugs that killed Scarlett; it was the criminalization of drugs that led to her death and to the subsequent cover-up attempt by the local police who allegedly are in collaboration with the drug mafias, mainly from Russia and Israel, who have reportedly set up operations in the state.

The Full piece.

Think about it. If you legalise drugs as alcohol and tobacco would the underworld be there at all? A horrifying scary thought. Imagine cocaine, LSD, escatsy available at the local panwalla. I can not even begin to imagine the affect on innocent teenage and younger children. A dangerous proposition. Drugs should be banned!

Why was the situation allowed to get so bad with different drug cartels operating from Goa. Is there no law and order there? This is a perfect example of high level corruption.

Let go of the corruption, the greed for money and power and we have a safe tourist haven. But heck when the goa police is in cahoots with the drug mafia, will they be willing to let all the money go. If the drug trade is alive and rampant it has to be because of their blessings.

So who is responsible?

1. The 2 arrested for her rape and murder -Samson D'Souza and Placido Carvalho

2. The responsible boyfriend, Julio Lobo? Where is he?

3. Her mother, Fiona? How could she leave a 15 yr old and go to Karnataka? Is she really so naive? Or she just couldn’t be bothered? Her mother needs to be applauded for her fight for justice if not for her sense of priorities. Just think if a British national is having so much of difficulty getting justice, imagine an Indian?

4. The police and the govt for their cover up?

5. Or Scarlett herself? Should she have been a responsible 15 yr old and not indulged in drugs and sex. Known what was good for her. Maybe sex was a way of filling her hunger for love.

This is becoming a lesson for better safe than sorry. I can't help but feel that I should be sympathizing with her family instead of questioning their priorities.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I liked what Jug Suraiya said. Who are we Indians to talk about maternal love, we who don't even allow our daughters to be born!
About drugs being legalised, there is so much unhappiness in Indian women's lives,in the lower classes, because of alcohol, I think drugs and alcohol should be treated the same way. Drugs being available from licensed shops is not a very bad options.

I was also shocked that the child was left alone with a twenty five year old and an old woman. I have seen how difficult it is sometimes, a determined fifteen year old can make a mother take decisions she will never otherwise take. Also our cultural differences can really confuse a foreigner...I just feel so, so sad. We are a shameful country when it comes to safety of women.

Anonymous said...

that was my first thought too, but then I got thinking, will this stop the spiking of drinks, the mixture of diff drugs and the rave parties?

I don't think so.

Would you leave your 15 year old with strangers in a strange country, whose culture is totally different from yours? no you would not and I wouldn't either. That was irresponsible. When one is traveling to a new country it does help to read about the culture of that country and not just the spots to visit.

But I have to agree that we are a shameful and a hypocritical country when it comes to protecting and safe guarding women

Anonymous said...

Chanced upon your interesting blog!! :)

Scarlett case - do these people, the mother and daughter - deserve sympathy? Those who live by the sword die by it, and this girl was in the wrong company.

One only hopes the perpetrators of this ghastly crime get punished. The mother also is to be blamed.

If the young generation can take lessons from this incident and take care of themselves, something good would have come out of this horrendous incident!

Anonymous said...

Vincent, its a classic case of heart v/s mind. Our mind says that what the mother did was wrong, she should have been more responsible instead of just living her own life, should have paid more interest to her children.

but my heart goes out to her, she lost a child and one can only imagine at what guilt she must be going through. my heart also goes out to the daughter, who had her whole life ahead of her, a ghastly way to die.

ur jest a minute had me in splits!

Anonymous said...

Came here through indian Home Maker's blog and agree with her too. :)) keep writing!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks Roopa, Vincent and Indian home maker for your encouragement!

Do visit again :)

Anonymous said...

This was vulgar show of utter irresponsibility and freelancing.
Know more about her motgher. Your heart wont weep for her. Yes, the young, nascent life hasbeen wasted on the altar of poor upbringing. My heart goes for this girl... she was too young to go into this and paid the price...A life lost and along with it a lot many things!!!
Keep writing.. though.

~D
http://dheeraj-haveabreak.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

You are right Dheeraj.

keep coming back :)

Anonymous said...

got here via - i dont who! but i wrote something similar. i hope you dont mind my linking your post to mine.

http://thebratthebeanandbedlam.wordpress.com