Colombo : Sri Lankan cricket greats Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have hit out at the government after five people were killed in political violence and more than 200 injured.
Current and former cricketers enjoy a massive fan following in Sri Lanka and their comments carry weight. Peaceful protesters demanding for their basic needs and rights attacked by despicable thugs and goons backed by the thugs and goons in the government. Disgusting, Sangakkara wrote on Twitter.
This is state-backed violence. Intentional and planned, Sangakkara, a former Sri Lanka captain and now head coach of Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, added.
Jayawardene, coach of IPL franchise Mumbai Indians, attached a video of a woman being beaten and tweeted: This is how they attacked a female protester in front of police officers… shame on you @PodujanaParty and government of SL for using violence.
Supporters of the ruling Rajapaksa family on Monday attacked unarmed protesters who have been demonstrating peacefully for weeks.
They have been demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa over the country’s worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.