Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said on Thursday that Sri Lanka’s anti-narcotics programme will continue uninterrupted until drugs are eradicated, and used the occasion to repeat that the government will not introduce repressive legislation.
He was speaking at an anti-narcotics awareness march from Galle Face Green, held on Thursday morning to mark the first anniversary of the “Ratama Ekata — A United Nation” national operation, NewsFirst reported at 12.20 p.m.
The march proceeded from Galle Face towards Kollupitiya, with participants raising public awareness of the dangers of narcotics.
What the Minister said
Wijepala said measures are being taken to crack down on trafficking and disrupt the supply of narcotics, alongside prevention and awareness work aimed at protecting children, youth and the wider public.
The campaign goes beyond law enforcement, he said, describing it as a nationwide effort driven under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s leadership through a national council mechanism designed to coordinate action among stakeholders.
In a second filing four minutes later, NewsFirst reported a further claim: that pressure and opposition have emerged as authorities move against the financial interests of narcotics traffickers. The Minister said the government remains committed regardless.
The civil liberties assurance
The more consequential part of the speech was not about drugs.
Wijepala reiterated that the government would not introduce or enforce repressive legislation against the public, and said freedom, democracy and the right to express differing views would continue to be protected. He said this approach had been maintained over the past two years and would continue, and rejected claims that the anti-drug campaign could be used to curb democratic freedoms, saying the fight would be carried out within the framework of democracy and the rule of law.
That assurance answers a charge made publicly the day before. The People’s Struggle Alliance warned the government against introducing repressive laws under new names, arguing that the proposed replacements for the Prevention of Terrorism Act carry the same powers under different labels.
It also runs alongside the Organised Crime Bill now before the Supreme Court, on which the President has said the proposed detention period would be cut to 48 hours — a concession announced at an event under the same “Ratama Ekata” banner as Thursday’s march.
What the photograph adds
Neither filing mentions which agencies took part. The banner carried at the head of the march, visible in NewsFirst’s footage, identifies the Bureau of Rehabilitation (පුනරුත්ථාපන කාර්යාංශය) as a participant and reads “එකට නැගී සිටි වසරක්” — a year of standing together — confirming the anniversary framing. Port City is visible behind the marchers, consistent with the stated Galle Face route.
A note on sourcing
Both sources here are NewsFirst filings on the same event, published four minutes apart. They are counted as one newsroom, and this report is single-sourced despite carrying two links. No other verified outlet had filed on the march at the time of writing.
Not reported
Neither filing gives any figures for the first year of “Ratama Ekata” — no arrest, seizure or rehabilitation numbers against which the campaign’s first anniversary could be assessed.
Neither names the national council mechanism or its members, identifies who is applying the “pressure and opposition” the Minister referred to, or says how many people took part in the march.
