PM says he should be hanged if found guilty

 

By Saman Indrajith-January 22, 2014, 9:57 pm

Prime Minister DM Jayaratne told Parliament yesterday that even a prime minister of a country should be hanged if found guilty of importing heroin.

 "Hang me if I am guilty. It is so unfortunate that ethanol and heroin are smuggled into this country. I have not even seen heroin in my life. It is said that one of my secretaries sent a letter seeking demurrage waiver for a heroin container. I do not say that was right. It cannot be approved of. Any minister or secretary sends hundreds of such letters. When people come to us seeking for assistance we give them letters. Even if an MP had come to me asking for a letter recommending duty wavier I would have given it. But in this case the request did not come to me. A letter given by one of my secretaries is used by my detractors who claim that the Prime Minister imports heroin."

 Prime Minister said he had not been rattled by political mudslinging. "I am not shaken at all and no one could shake my mind even by stabbing me. And I am ready to bow down and apologise if I have done anything wrong," he said.

"I have not earned any money for years. I have not even touched money. I do not even know who harvest pepper and coffee on my plantations."

 Prime Minister Jayaratne said that special courts should be set up to hear cases related to heroin. "We should follow Singapore and set up special courts to hear cases related to offences of smuggling drugs and give the capital punishment for those found guilty for drug offences. Otherwise, this country would be destroyed."