COLOMBO - Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Thursday that his administration is committed to preventing children from falling victim to the drug menace and will not offer political protection to any criminal or drug trafficker.

Speaking at the launch of the Southern Provincial program of the nationwide anti-drug campaign, the president said the government was established with a clear public mandate and that the anti-drug campaign was launched to meet the expectations of the people.

Dissanayake stressed that no individual involved in criminal activity or the narcotics trade would receive political protection under his government.

Not a single criminal or anyone connected to the drug network will be safeguarded politically, he said.

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Sri Lanka's national anti-drug campaign "A Nation United", aimed at eradicating the drug menace across the country, was launched on Oct 30.

Dissanayake emphasized that the government will move forward firmly with the anti-drug campaign and is determined to free the country from the threat of narcotics.