COLOMBO, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Tuesday said a nationwide narcotics prevention week would be implemented from June 22 to July 1 in order to eradicate the use of drugs from the island country.
In a statement, the president's media division said the nationwide program would strengthen the government's ongoing anti-narcotics drive and would help the tri forces and police to eradicate drugs.
The Sri Lankan government last month took a national pledge to eradicate the drug menace in the country with President Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and other officials taking oaths to work towards a drug free country.
The president said the illegal drug trade, which had spread like a major menace throughout the island, could not be controlled only through seizing illicit drugs, conducting raids or taking legal action, but the time had also come to eliminate this threat through implementing a broad attitude change.
Sri Lanka has in recent months launched a severe crackdown on the illegal drug trade with several drug lords and smugglers taken into custody.
On April 1 this year, under the directives of Sirisena, authorities destroyed 769 kg of cocaine, which the police had seized in island wide raids carried out during the past few years.
