Indian Ocean countries need to find innovative ways to handle drug trafficking: Ruwan

State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene

State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardene says countries in the Indian Ocean region should find innovative ways to deal with the drug trafficking issue in the maritime domain.

Delivering the Opening Remarks at the Meeting of the Senior Drug Enforcement Officials of the Indian Ocean Region in Colombo Tuesday, Minister Wijewardene said it was essential to establish functional networks of contact, exchange intelligence, continuously monitor and report, conduct joint operations where feasible, and harmonise legislation to effectively curb the drug smuggling across the Indian Ocean.

The State Minister emphasised that a clear message needs to be sent across the region that drug trafficking will be dealt with effectively and in a concerted manner in order to create a drug free Indian Ocean Region.

The Government’s determination to eliminate the drug menace in Sri Lanka in a systematic manner was one of the key aspects of the President’s 100 day program, he said.

He explained that the President had established a Presidential Task Force on Prevention of Drugs which functions under his purview. This Task Force has been tasked to eliminate the use and the supply of illicit drugs on three fronts which is, policy formation and enactment of laws and their implementations; treatment and rehabilitation; and eradication, he added.

Speaking further, he stressed that steps have also been taken to bring together various line ministers and agencies within Government in order to have a more coordinated and cohesive response to this issue. Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne also conducted a comprehensive presentation on the theme of ‘Maritime Drug Trafficking: Finding a lasting solution’ during the opening ceremony.

The three day long (13-15 Oct) meeting of Senior Drug Enforcement Officials of the Indian Ocean Region is jointly organised by the UNODC and the Ministry of Defence. Over 60 high ranking delegates representing 21 countries in the Indian Ocean Region and seven organisations are participating in the Meeting.

The meeting aims at enhancing regional and sub-regional cooperation among drug enforcement agencies to counter drug trafficking in the Indian Ocean and will work towards developing standardized information collection for drug seizures at sea and at seaports.