Punjab Kings batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who is a Sri Lankan international player, has come out in support of 'fellow Sri Lankans' as his country deals with emergency situations and economic crisis.
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency in the country giving the security forces wide authority to arrest and detain suspects with immediate effect. Sri Lankans are on streets to protest against the massive mismanagement policies which has resulted in a worsening economic condition of the country.
In an appeal to the government of Sri Lanka, he has said that people of Sri Lanka are not the enemy and they must be protected at all costs.
He wrote: "Even though I am many miles away, I can still feel the anguish of my fellow Sri Lankans, as they struggle to make it through each day.
— Bhanuka Rajapaksa (@BhanukaRajapak3) April 3, 2022
"Now, they have found even their most fundamental rights suppressed, in an effort to quell their voices. But when 22 million voices rise as one, it cannot be ignored. The people of Sri Lanka deserve to be heard.
"The people of Sri Lanka deserve to live without the fear that they may not be able to provide for their families. The people of Sri Lanka deserve better."
"I implore all concerned to remember that the people are not the enemy. They must be protected at all costs."
Former Sri Lanka player and current Mumbai Indians coach Mahels Jayawardena also slammed the recent government action on people who were protesting over economic crisis in Colombo and other parts of the country.
