Sri Lanka’s Defence State Minister says stricter laws to combat illegal human and drug trafficking

Strict laws will be implemented to curb illegal human and drug trafficking through the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon said.

The Minister also said that relief measures have been implemented for those who have been affected by the adverse weather and necessary amendments will be brought to prevent misuse of existing circulars in providing disaster relief.

He expressed these views on Thursday (July 06) during a press conference themed ‘Collective Path to a Stable Country’ held at the Presidential Media Center (PMC).

State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon further commented;

The security of the Indian Ocean is a concern for both India and Sri Lanka.

The Navy contributes significantly to the security of the Indian Ocean region and does so with great responsibility.

Every year, the Sri Lankan Government obtains a report on national security for the following five years. This assessment covers crimes related to geopolitics, terrorism, extremism, and illicit activity.

In accordance with this evaluation, steps are taken regarding the security of the country as a state. When making decisions, these evaluations are taken into consideration.

The stability of the nation’s economy is primarily impacted by the rule of law. Therefore, no nation that has not created the rule of law can be expected to advance.

In the aftermath of war in 2009, measures were taken to right- size the security forces. The security soldiers won’t be evacuated in this circumstance.

A census has already been conducted on the individuals who deserted the armed forces and the individuals resigning from the armed forces.

In the future, members of the armed forces will be recruited within a certain limit.

Necessary steps are being taken to provide relief to 2242 people in 594 families who are affected by the current adverse weather condition.

Relief work is currently being done in collaboration with disaster management departments.

It has been observed that necessary amendments should be made to prevent misuse of existing circulars in providing disaster relief.

As a result, they need to be changed as soon as feasible. The Government has invested 60 billion between 2016 and 2021 to aid those impacted by calamities.

Also, the Government has allocated Rs. 10 billion for the construction of elephant fences to protect the people from wild elephants amounting up to six thousand.

Attention has been focused on encouraging students to join the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in the Northern and Eastern areas and deploying them for social intelligence to combat various threats that endangers the youth.

Security personnel have so far been stationed in a number of institutions and services. In order to maintain the reputation of the security forces, the Government has made steps to remedy that issue in the future and secure their services.

Land is being allotted formally in the North and East. They are not being distributed in an effort to win the favor of anyone, and measures are being made to deliver them to their proper owners.

The Government has also appointed a committee to work transparently in this regard. Even now, 80% of the land in the North has been returned to the people.

We represent a new generation. We think about the future differently. Although our political ideologies are different in terms of power bases, we stand together for the country when needed.

Today, President Ranil Wickramasinghe has put in place a clear plan to develop the economy of the nation.

It should be noted that this is a chance for everyone to collaborate, regardless of how diverse their ideologies may be.

It is time to end the practice of offering jobs while taking MPs’ letters into account and out of concern for protests. For the country to advance, the most difficult and unpopular decisions must be made.

The choices we have to make right now, would not be widely supported politically. We are making these decisions with the future of our nation in mind, not our own political destiny.

(President’s Media)