Former Minister Rajitha Senaratne has criticised the current administration’s approach to drug law enforcement and the extensive media coverage surrounding it, warning that such publicity is tarnishing Sri Lanka’s international reputation.
He argued that constant headlines and television broadcasts about drug seizures give the impression that Sri Lanka is overrun by narcotics and controlled by the underworld, comparing the resulting image to that of Mexico and Colombia.
Senaratne claimed that this negative portrayal is already having consequences, pointing out that countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom have issued travel advisories warning their citizens against visiting Sri Lanka due to perceived threats.
Highlighting differences in media practices, he said that while similar law enforcement operations take place in the United States, where his sister resides, they are never broadcast on television. He stressed that showing such raids “from morning till night” damages the country’s image abroad.
The former minister accused the present government of failing to intercept large drug shipments, saying that only small-scale local distributors are being arrested. In contrast, he defended the record of the previous administration, claiming it was the only one to seize drugs “by the container load.”
Recalling a major operation during his tenure, Senaratne said the seized drugs were stored under military protection at Urugodawatta and later transported to Galle Face, where they were displayed as a massive mound before being publicly destroyed in the presence of then President Maithripala Sirisena.
He maintained that the amount of drugs destroyed during the previous administration far exceeded anything achieved since, adding that underworld figures were arrested at the time without generating the kind of damaging publicity seen today.
