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Beting Village: Haven for drug users, hell for non-users
A village known for its rampant drug use and trade is also a lifelong prison for its residents
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Sunlight streaks through the clouds above Kampung Beting, a floating settlement in Pontianak, West Kalimantan. (JP/Reza Darwin)
Part 1: The village that never sleeps
While most denizens of Pontianak indulge in their nightly slumber, a village called Beting is still awake. This floating settlement on the borders of the Kapuas and Landak rivers is known as a narcotics paradise among the local residents of West Kalimantan’s provincial capital. A mix of dangdut and funkot (city funk) music rises from nearly every house from sundown to early morning. Wooden canoes ferry partygoers from all over the city who have come to join in the festivities. The village’s “Wild West” image is such that it's often referred to as the "Texas of Pontianak".
Trapped by stigma
Randy (not his real name) is in his late teens and, until recently, lived in Beting all his life. While he made his living as a canoe steersman, Randy's father and brother are both small-time drug dealers. Meanwhile, his mother sells snacks to children and customers who visit the family’s home to buy or use drugs, mostly crystal meth. Randy's mother is the only one in the family who doesn't use drugs.
While the government and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) provide rehabilitation programs, including skills training for local residents, and have renovated the local infrastructure, the drug-centered ecosystem of village Beting continues to thrive. The BNN reports that approximately 200 out of the 3000-plus residents in the village are actively involved in drugs as users, sellers or both.
For Randy's family and other residents, drugs are not taboo. It is deeply intertwined with their daily existence and livelihood. In Beting, Randy says, a shot of heroin can cost as little as Rp 10,000, and users can be as young as junior high school-aged children.
Being from Beting is not easy. Randy and his family grapple daily with the stigmas attached to the place. Randy was bullied at school because the village is considered a poor area. Meanwhile, his brother has had no choice but to continue dealing, as his job applications were repeatedly rejected just because of his home address.
