Before May 2009 drugs were hardly known in the Northern Province: Wigneswaran in Colombo

Northern Provincial Council Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran, speaking today at a meeting in Colombo said that before May 2009 drugs were hardly known in the Northern Province.

“There is concern among our parents in the Northern Province that drugs had been introduced after the war ended in 2009 among our youth to ensure that the initiatives and the innovative and independent spirit of our youngsters could be blunted and insensitised” Wigneswaran said in his address at the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board in Rajagiriya.

He said many conditions that prevailed at the end of the war made the Northern Province particularly an ideal back garden to distribute the dangerous drugs.

His full speech is as follows:

Despite my heavy schedule of work both professional and personal I have been able to find time for this important meeting. I am glad that I made it. First of all let me thank you for having arranged such a meeting to discuss specially the problem pertaining to drugs in the Northern Province. It saddens me to realize that it is the unfortunate incident that took away the life of an innocent and beautiful teenager that has prompted us to meet today.

His Excellency the President when he was recently with us addressing our youngsters at a special meeting in Vembadi Girls’ College in Jaffna, a school where my mother was a student almost a hundred years ago, promised to take immediate steps to deal with the problem of drug abuse in the North. It is indeed a credit to our President that he has been able to arrange this meeting in such a short period of time. I remember with appreciation the statement made by His Excellency on that occasion. It went something like this “All of you are my children. I will do everything possible as a father to protect you and guide you.” Simple words that emanated from his humane heart. I must also record my appreciation of your good work in the direction of drugs control and allied matters.

I remember during the time when I was President of the Ceylon Law Students’ Union and the Honourable Minister was an important office bearer in our Committee we jointly organized and participated in the year 1962 in public demonstrations against certain wrongs then committed. I find we are together today 53 years later in a similar exercise but not to walk the streets of Colombo on a demonstration walk but to demonstrate our social consciousness to alleviate the sufferings of our unfortunate youngsters who have become addicted to dangerous drugs as well as to prevent new recruits  into this abusive trade.

I find you have identified the education of its youth as the foundation of every State.  Unfortunately those who wish to ensure the downfall and ruination of the youth in any State resort to the introduction of dangerous drugs as a means to shake the social fabric of such States. There is concern among our parents in the Northern Province that drugs had been introduced after the war ended  in 2009 among our youth to ensure that the initiatives and the innovative and independent spirit of our youngsters could be blunted and insensitised. Before May 2009 drugs were hardly known in the Northern Province.

We are aware that many conditions that prevailed at the end of the war made the Northern Province particularly an ideal back garden to distribute the dangerous drugs. The depressive mood of the people generally and the youth specially in the aftermath of the war, very many family problems given rise to by death, disease, damage and disability, problems of inability to continue their education, poor parent – youth relationship, peer pressure, the economic need to resort to short cuts to obtain quick income in the aftermath of the war and more dangerously the efficient methods of introduction by those with hidden agenda to ruin our youth  – all contributed to the state of affairs today.

I do not have to tell you no matter what the drug used might be, when teens and our youth fall victim to drug abuse they risk everything in their lives – relationships with their family members, their education, their future prospects, their social standing with peers and most importantly their self esteem. Drug abuse can transgress the limits of discipline to one of medical intervention. In an effort to control crime  in our areas including drug abuse and drug distribution I have suggested to the IGP to consider the formation of Core Committees at the highest level consisting of the Senior Police officers in our Province and our Ministers. Simultaneously I have suggested that we form Vigilance Committees consisting of middle rung Police officers and our Members of the Provincial Council and finally Police Public Relations Committees bringing the grass root level community leaders to interact with the OIC of every Police area. This way the Police and the Public could complement each other to identify areas of concern and take appropriate steps. I should like to table a copy of the letter I sent the IGP for the perusal of our Hon’ Minister. Thus at the level of discipline and control the support of parents, schools and Government Departments must be enlisted by these Committees at various levels. Lectures at school assemblies, seminars, posters etc have been suggested at one level. Constant monitoring of suspicious characters in every village has been suggested at another level.

We must remember that at one stage drug abuse slides towards addiction and medical intervention becomes necessary. If more serious, social and Governmental intervention becomes essential. It might be necessary to appoint a Task Force in addition to monitor and coordinate all our efforts.

I am sure you will study the problem in the North in all its aspects and come up with solutions. We on our part would like to participate in your efforts to make the Provinces free of the drug menace.