The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I will conclude.

¶ 02 Even during the years up to 2009, the Northern Province ranked between 2nd and 5th in education. After 2009, we are 8th or 9th—the last places. When the North was under LTTE control, even in the hardest times, children could study somehow because of that administrative environment. Today, due to the deliberate spread of drugs, the situation is worsening—and that tragedy has spread to the South as well.

¶ 03 We will fully support government decisions to eliminate drugs—there can be no disagreement there. I wish to flag a few points. A 2023 UN Human Rights Office report titled “End overreliance on punitive measures to address drugs problem” states:

¶ 04 “A UN human rights report today calls for a shift from punitive measures to address the global drugs problem to the use of policies grounded in human rights and public health, arguing that disproportionate use of criminal penalties is causing harm.”

¶ 05 And further:

¶ 06 “The UN Human Rights Office report, mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, finds that disproportionate use of criminal penalties discourages people who use drugs from seeking treatment and feeds stigma and social exclusion.”

¶ 07 The consensus is that treating users as criminals is wrong. We must remove users from the criminal net and instead impose harsher penalties on those engaged in trafficking.

¶ 08 Overcrowding shows the failure of punitive overreliance: in a prison built for 10,500 inmates, 35,000 are housed.

¶ 09 Therefore, you must make these changes. If the government is serious about eliminating drugs, remove the military entirely from these operations. The military has no role here; in the North and East, they are a root cause. Issue a White Paper swiftly on your programme, solicit views from the public and experts, and let only those with relevant expertise shape decisions. Do not involve those without knowledge, and in the North and East, do not in any way involve the military, which has spread drugs there.