The Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law

Hon. Harshana Nanayakkara stated that the large remand population, including around 27,000 remandees, cannot undergo rehabilitation while on remand. He said rehabilitation work is being coordinated with the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, and the Justice Ministry’s Rehabilitation Division has been gazetted under the Ministry of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs to prevent duplication and pool resources. He added that intensified drug prevention efforts are producing about 700 arrests daily, with many persons directed to voluntary rehabilitation centres, and that combined ministerial allocations will be supplemented if necessary under the President’s direction.