Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state, Myanmar's most northernly region, doesn't have it easy. For years it's been plagued by civil war between the Kachin Independence Army and the Burmese Military, as well as poverty and an international trade in opium and heroin. Due to poor employment opportunities and the low price of the drug, many in Kachin have become addicted to heroin, with an estimated one in every household regularly using the drug.In response to this growing problem, "Pat Jasan" – a coalition of local Baptist, Catholic and Protestant churches – launched a community based organisation whose goal is to "eradicate all drugs from the Kachin population". Through a network of camps, Pat Jasan force drug users through a faith-based rehabilitation programme. Their "clients" spend three to six months partaking in daily exercise, prayer and educational activities in an attempt to replace their drug addiction with religion. The organisation is fully funded by donations from local churches and is manned by volunteers.Despite the seemingly bright community-based effort to help drug users, Pat Jasan's methods have been criticised as harsh. The group has no legal authority, yet detain people and then lock them in a makeshift "detox room" for two weeks, where they receive no medical attention or care while suffering withdrawal symptoms.@davidjshawphoto
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