Robert Go, Jakarta – Despite a hard line against offenders, Indonesia's war on drugs seems to have stalled, with users estimated at four million and rising, and the country described as a ripe target for international drug syndicates.

The government has opted for tough punishments, including the death penalty and life imprisonment, against offenders.

As a firing squad last week prepared to execute an Indian man caught trafficking 12kg of heroin, police chief General Da'i Bachtiar said the death penalty would 'serve as a deterrent' and 'show Indonesia's seriousness in fighting the war on drugs'.

President Megawati Sukarnoputri also recently rejected clemency pleas from two Thais who are currently on death row following drug convictions.

In the past four years, the courts have sentenced nearly 30 people, including five Indonesians, to death in drug-related cases.

Drug offenders make up a large majority of the more than 60 prisoners now awaiting execution nationwide.

The government also conducts a pricey and public anti-narcotics campaign.

In strategic points around Jakarta, billboards and banners advise people to 'stay away from drugs' and to lead 'clean, drug-free lives'.

Yet the problem not only persists, some observers familiar with the situation said it is now easier than ever to buy and use drugs, and the number of users is skyrocketing.

Police officials talked about international drug rings that now eye Indonesian users as valuable customers.

Previously, they said, the country was merely a transit point for drug shipments destined for elsewhere.

But with tougher anti-drugs programmes in other countries, dealers find Indonesia's relatively porous borders and high potential customer base attractive.

The solution, said anti-narcotics advocates, is a combination of tough penalties, more public campaigns to raise awareness and a real crackdown against drug lords, instead of mere arrests of couriers of drug dealers.

Mr Henri Yosodiningrat, a co-founder of the National Anti-Narcotics Movement (Granat), estimated that users in Indonesia now number around four million people.

He and other observers said users were getting younger, including primary school-age children who often also serve as couriers.

Mr Iskandar Hukom of anti-drugs group YCAB said the death penalty was needed for drug offenders, but the government should not rely solely on tough punishments.

"In addition to tough punitive policies, we need to do more preventive programmes for our children and start such things for kids as young as possible," he said.

Observers also said the police needed to start arresting drug syndicate bosses and not just their underlings who actually take the biggest risks by moving among the public.

Mr Iskandar argued: 'We know it is very easy to get drugs, including in nightclubs all over the city. But we never hear about nightclub owners getting arrested, even though logically speaking these people benefit from drug deals.' A man named Agil, who told The Straits Times he deals in drugs from time to time at a landmark nightspot in Jakarta, agreed: 'It's always us who get arrested but our bosses are safe. There is no fairness here.' Asked why he is involved in the trade, he said: 'It's easy, and if I don't do this I won't have a job to support my family.'

Popular drugs

• Putaw, or heroin, and cocaine: Among the middle class and the rich, those who can afford the relatively high prices of such drugs.
• Shabu shabu or amphetamines: Among the poor, those who need the drug-induced energy for them to undertake two or three jobs a day.
• Ecstasy: Among clubbers and ravers, who ride the abnormal euphoric wave during all-night parties.
• Marijuana: The drug of choice among university students and self-styled bohemians.