He had the misfortune to mix with undesirable friends, and among them were some drug addicts

WE ENTERED, AND FOUND dirty rooms, broken furniture and a slovenly woman, worn out by anxiety and heavy work and at the point of desperation to obtain money to pay for the house rent, and to feed and clothe her young children.

This was the home of an old friend, who had once been a potentially sound man and ruined his life, and that of his family, by taking drugs.

Like everybody else, Wang had his fair share of opportunities in life, probably more than the average. Twenty years ago, you would have said he was destined for a successful career in the Malaysian army. He had come from a wealthy and reputable family; had  an expensive education and was training to become a high-ranking officer in a famous regimant.

Unhappily, at the age of twenty-five, he had the misfortune to mix with undesirable friends, and among them were some drug addicts. Inevitably, he was drawn into dangerous web of drugs.

Wang married a twenty-six year-old woman called Siok Khim. He was by then, just a year older. But she could not stop her husband from taking drugs and so he went on "chasing the dragon". (This is a popular method of taking heroin. The powder is mixed with barbitone and placed on a piece of tin foil which is heated by a thin candle. The fumes that arise are said to resemble a dragon's tail. The addict inhales through a small paper tube)

The situation was not so bad at first. Wang was still an officer in the regiment and did not carry out his duties too badly. But at the age of twenty-nine, he decided that he needed more 'kicks' than just "chasing the dragon". This was when he started mainlining and pumping the heroin into a tvien by direct injection. A sudden jolt by using such a method could prove fatal, but Wang knew that the injection gave him sweet relief. Gradually, his drug-taking increased in quantity and he was court-martialled for debts. His dismissal followed soon after. Wang then had to depend on his wife for whatever support she could give him by working part-time as a factory worker.

That day when we visited him he was not in. After waiting for a few minutes, he came shambling in, looking very pale, thin and haggard. He was certainly not the old Wang we knew. We took in his shabby clothes, worn-out shoes and trembling hands. We talked for old time's sake and surprisingly, he could still recall many past incidents. Before we left, we placed a few banknotes on the table which I noticed he grabbed even before we had reached the door.

    We went away, sadder but wiser.