Kumar Sangakkara attacks political battles marring Sri Lankan cricket

Former captain uses MCC Spirit of Cricket lecture for speech
(Lanka-e-News -05.July.2011, 4.45P.M.) Kumar Sangakkara has chosen the MCC Spirit of Cricket lecture to launch a scathing attack on the endless political power-struggles that bedevil Sri Lanka Cricket and to reflect upon the heavy responsibilities on Sri Lankan cricketers to promote reconciliation after the end of the civil war that blighted the country.

Sangakkara, in a hugely impressive speech scribbled out during occasional spare hours during the one-day series against England, provided a vivid explanation that will go a long way to explaining why he resigned from the captaincy after Sri Lanka’s defeat in the World Cup final, exhausted after only two years in charge. He described how, since Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup victory, their cricket administration had changed “from a volunteer-led organisation run by well-meaning men of integrity into a multimillion-dollar organisation that has been in turmoil ever since”.

His criticism could hardly have been more pointed. “Players from within the team itself became involved in power games within the board,” he said. “Officials elected to power in this way in turn manipulated player loyalty to achieve their own ends. At times board politics would spill over into the team causing rift, ill feeling and distrust.  Full story »
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PM admits some politicians involved in drug trade

July 6, 2011, 12:00 pm


By Saman Indrajith

Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne admitted in Parliament today that some politicians are involved in the illegal drug trade in the country.

"There are one or two black sheep among the white," the premier said in response to a special statement made by Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga on the increasing proliferation of drugs in the country.

Amaratunga in his statement said that that some politicians are involved in smuggling drugs into the country and in some instances pressured the police to release drug dealers with whom they had connections.

He said that nearly 29,000 persons have been convicted and had been sent to prison for drug related offences in 2010. This, he said, was a sharp increase compared to the previous year as only 18,743 persons were subjected to jail sentence in 2009 for the same kind of offences.

The Chief Opposition Whip said the airport, harbour, and the coastal areas were alive with reports of drug transportation almost daily.

He called on the government to use Singapore as a role model in converting Sri Lanka into a nation without drug mafias.

Amaratunga said that 6,430 kg of Ganja and 14kg heroine had been seized by the police during the period from January to June 2011.

He said politicos are involved in the importation of narcotics into the country. He recalled that a certain politico had applied undue influence on the police which recovered a consignment of drugs recently.

The prime Minister said that the support of all political parties was essential to build a country without drug mafias.

Posted by Thavam