The horror of living with 'white death' in Muong village

(Baonghean.vn) - Muong Village in Ngoc Lam Commune, Thanh Chuong District is a hot spot of the district because it always leads in the number of drug addicts and people dying from HIV/AIDS.

View of Muong village.

Along the small asphalt road leading to the resettlement area of ​​Ngoc Lam commune, Thanh Chuong district, across Man Tac II bridge, Muong village is living with 'white death'. There were times when the village had 43 addicts, most of whom were infected with HIV, many of whom were in prison for drug-related crimes. Mr. Luong Thanh Duc - Head of Muong village - a person who is always tormented by the pain of drug addiction shared: "In just 5 years, 23 people have died from drugs, and the number has not stopped there".

Addicts struggle and suffer, but their parents suffer even more. Once a volunteer soldier fighting on the Laotian battlefield, Kha Kham Xon, nearly 80 years old, always feels sad and ashamed because he has two drug-addicted children. Telling his story, he could not hold back his tears because the drug whirlwind has brought so much bitterness to his family and village.

It is not difficult to come across these creepy images in the forest of Ban Muong.

In the early days of settlement, life was already difficult and became even more difficult. With the help of local authorities and local people, along with learning to get used to new ways of doing business, some people successfully quit drugs such as Tuan, Luong Hoa, Ly Thoay... However, after stabilizing their lives and expanding their relationships, the number of people relapsed and became new addicts increased.

Currently, the entire Muong village still has 15 addicts, accounting for more than half of the addicts in the commune, not to mention the suspected addicts. In addition to the 23 people who have died from drugs, the number of people living in poverty and illness due to the “white whirlwind” is increasing, of which Kha Van H. is a typical example. The house is empty, without a roof, without walls, with nothing but a stall on the ground where the father and his three children sleep and an open-air kitchen that is always cold.

Death and a life of wandering due to drugs have led to a difficult economic and social life here. The entire Muong village has 93 out of 116 poor households. Village chief Luong Thanh Duc said that to maintain their lives, Muong villagers have to work for local people and farm owners. However, the poor and precarious life is not as haunting as the "white" deaths.

Leaving Muong village, we could not help but be haunted by the sad sharing of village chief Luong Thanh Duc: "On June 2, Mac Van Hang, born in 1990 - a young man of the village, was just sentenced by the Court to 20 months in prison for illegal possession of drugs..."

Tran Dinh Ha

Thanh Chuong Radio and Television Station