DRUG REHABILITATION CENTRES (Particulars)

Mr S. Dhanabalan asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education how many drug rehabilitation centres there are in Singapore, the planned capacity of these centres on the basis of accepted norms of living space per person, sanitary facilities etc. and the range of numbers housed in these centres at any one time in 1977; how many persons are housed in each cell/room for cold turkey treatment and whether there is any separation in housing and treatment of addicts in the strict sense of the term and those who have been apprehended while in the early stages of drug experimentation; and whether he will agree to periodical visits by groups of Members of Parliament to these centres.

The Minister for Home Affairs and Education (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir, there are five drug rehabilitation centres in Singapore. Four of these are for male addicts and the other is for female addicts.

On the basis of accepted norms of living space and sanitary facilities for institutions of this nature, the planned capacity of these centres is as follows: Selarang Park Centre 2,400 inmates Jalan Awan Centre 1,140 inmates Telok Paku Centre 1,000 inmates Khalsa Crescent Centre 200 inmates Female Drug Rehabilita-tion Centre 230 inmates

Apart from the Khalsa Crescent Centre, the others are either expanded or new. Accommodation in the centres was taken up as it became available when more and more addicts were apprehended under Operation Ferret. There is, therefore, no meaningful range that I can quote. However, the maximum number of inmates in those centres at various times were: Selarang Park Centre 1,659 inmates Jalan Awan Centre 1,124 inmates Telok Paku Centre 1,002 inmates Khalsa Crescent Centre 212 inmates Female Drug Rehabilita-tion Centre 218 inmates

For cold turkey treatment, addicts are housed in groups of up to 20 inmates in each large cell.

The inmates are segregated according to sex, age and past records. The hardcore addicts and those with criminal records are housed at the Khalsa Crescent Centre. The young experimentors, on the other hand, are housed in bungalows at the Selarang Park Centre. Inmates are also segregated according to the stages of treatment and rehabilitation they are in. For example, the Jalan Awan Centre houses inmates who are in the final stage of rehabilitation and treatment, and they are given work

Members of Parliament are welcome to visit any other centres, except that male visitors am usually not allowed in the Female Drug Rehabilitation Centre. However, if they wish to visit these centres, they should either contact the Director of Prisons or myself for such visits.

Mr Ivan Baptist: Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Hon. Minister tell us approximately what is the cubic capacity of space provided per inmate in the drug rehabilitation centres, and the cubic capacity of the cold turkey cell?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, I cannot give the cubic capacity of the space. However, I can give the area of the cold turkey room, but not its cubic capacity. I think its ceiling height is the normal ceiling height. The coiling height of this Chamber is not the normal ceiling height. The area of the cold turkey room is 42 square metros for 20 inmates. As for the area of an average dormitory, it is 322.8 square metros for 140 inmates.