Singapore 'fighting a war' against drug scourge given scale of lives lost, Victims Remembrance Day to be held: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE: Singapore is"fighting a war" against traffickers who profit off the drug trade at the expense of thousands of innocent lives, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said in Parliament on Wednesday .

Mr Shanmugam added that he was delivering the ministerial statement because even though Singapore's strict narcotics policies are effective and supported by Singaporeans, they are criticised "without merit" by some parties who are helping inmates to abuse the legal process and prevent penalties against drug traffickers from being carried out.

"Do we want to become a 'narco-state', an 'infamous brown town', or a hotbed for drugs and violence?" "This is the war that we are fighting in Singapore. And if we don’t fight it, or if we lose it, thousands in Singapore will suffer."In his speech, Mr Shanmugam said that a new “Drug Victims Remembrance Day” will be introduced this year for Singaporeans to come together and remember the suffering of families and loved ones of drug abusers.

Mr Shanmugam added that schools under the Ministry of Education and Institutes of Higher Learning will also organise various activities like lessons, special assemblies and an essay competition for youths in post-secondary educational institutions on Remembrance Day.SINGAPORE'S APPROACH TOWARDS DRUG CONTROL

As for low-risk, first-time adult drug abusers, they will generally undergo counselling in the community, along with regular urine or hair testing."This minimises disruption to their daily lives while ensuring that their addiction issues are addressed," he said.

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