Sajith Demands Crackdown on Drug-Peddling Media After President’s Bombshell

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa issued a blunt challenge to the government: stop talking and start acting against media institutions allegedly tied to the narcotics trade—a claim made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Parliament earlier this week.

"It was said that the media sector in the country is connected to the drug trade. You don’t need to come to Parliament and say so. Arrest them. Enforce the law against them. If media institutions are engaged in the drug trade, enforce the law against them," said Premadasa on Wednesday (19).

He criticized the government for failing to provide solutions, accusing it of misleading the public with empty promises.

"The people of this country are not expecting the opposition’s role from the government. The people expect answers and solutions. When they fail to deliver, false promises are made, and the people are deceived and misled. When things go awry, there is no point in coming to Parliament and acting out a drama. There is no point in coming here to give speeches. Deliver the answer the people demand."

Premadasa’s remarks came in response to the President’s statement on November 18, which revealed a disturbing nexus between narcotics money and media ownership.

"Accordingly, a business network built upon this illicit money was also established. Critically, some of these businessmen also started investing money into the media."

According to the President, this network has evolved far beyond local thugs, now encompassing political figures, narcotics traffickers, armed criminals, corrupt officials, and even media entities. He revealed that some businessmen have allegedly funneled illicit funds into media organizations, creating a powerful nexus that threatens governance and public trust. Intelligence agencies, he said, are expected to expose these links soon.