Australian players back UN appeal for crisis-hit Sri Lanka
Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc
The visiting Australian cricket team on Thursday threw their support behind a United Nations appeal to buy urgently needed food and life-saving medicines for Sri Lanka, which is currently undergoing a spiralling economic crisis.
The South Asian island nation has been experiencing shortages of food, fuel, medicine and other essential goods, a crisis sparked by dwindling foreign currency reserves and government mismanagement that has left its residents suffering.
The Australian cricket team is currently in Sri Lanka for a tournament that involves all three formats of the game.
In a video put out Thursday by the Australian High Commission in Colombo, cricketers Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith said they are encouraging friends to “assist in any way they can” in the UN’s appeal for $47.2 million of emergency funds.
“The UN has launched a flash appeal in Sri Lanka to support poor communities affected by the crisis,” Starc said.
“We are proud that Australia is doing its bit,” added Smith. “Together, we can help Sri Lanka hit this crisis for six.”
Australia has already won the first two T20 games to secure the three-match T20 series played at the start of five ODIs and two Tests.
The tournament is going ahead despite severe fuel shortages and blackouts across the country and daily protests demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation over the mismanagement of the economy.
Sri Lankan authorities — as well as fans — had pleaded with the Aussies to go ahead with the cricket series, as it is expected to bring in much-needed foreign exchange to the island.
So far, 1.7 million people in the nation of 22 million are in need of “life-saving assistance”, the UN said, while more than three-quarters of the population have reduced their food intake due to severe food shortages across the country.
“Sri Lanka’s once-strong healthcare system is now in jeopardy, livelihoods are suffering and the most vulnerable are facing the greatest impact,” the agency said in a statement.
“Now is the time for the international community to show solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka.”
Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in April, and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.
(AFP)
Sri Lanka is currently going through a severe economic crisis. @UN has launched a flash appeal in 🇱🇰 to support communities affected by the economic crisis. If you would like to donate affected communities in 🇱🇰, follow the link below:
https://t.co/qu7oV1pzDv@CricketAus pic.twitter.com/L8IU8arEnS— Australia in Sri Lanka and Maldives (@AusHCSriLanka) June 9, 2022
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Don’t worry presently there are charity collection done by primary school children in North Korea, beggars in India and in tea shops in India to over come the our economic crisis while we play this stupide boring game called cricket.
Not even that Bro. Ranjith….SL is losing all the matches to Australians to make them happy. Our greatest player Kusal Medis is taking the lead! Remember we also need convertible currency now.
Mr Amarakoon we have to keep the world happy to get food, fuel, and medicine etc. Otherwise we will stave to death. Don’t Sri Laken men have no shame to be in this situation. Begging even from Bangladeshi which was a poor country few years ago.
Dera Bro. Ranjith, I am afraid Sri Lanka trying to make everyone happy to get food. See the Aeroflot saga to make big-bro happy we grounded the flight……then after the backfire…we released the flight to make Russia happy. Well, Bangladesh is an exceptional country and somehow during this difficult period their GDP is growing steadily. They also having strikes, political unrest, floods, and huge gas explosions, collapsing of buildings, ext. However, they don’t make blunders such as SL. See, for example in SL, we can generate 15,000 mega votes by wind power. SL only need 4,000 mega votes!! We are not doing it. We are not using solar power either. Make one blunder after another. We chased ‘Kaputa’ and trying to geta a Owl (Bassa) to replace him.
Mr Amarakoon. Not only Bangladesh have the problems you have mentioned. USA, UK Russia and the rest of the world have these difficulties. The thing is they know how to solve these. No country in the world in this embarrassing situation Sri Lanka in. Not even Haiti. Country full of corruption and deception all these Sri Lanken idling men are applying passports to leave the country even to do odd jobs with university degrees. Haven’t we done since independence. Better than starving to death here.
Ranjith,
This is the result of 3 years of rule by the sangha-sponsored mini-Hitler who is now hiding in the Bunker built to protect against LTT Terrorists.
The Coward leader is hiding there unable to face the 6.9m voters who blindly supported him.
The Coward’s brother has admitted he has no baxxs.
I am sure the Cowrad doesn’t have them too including the thing which hangs in front.
Sir, Coward excellency, come out of your Bunker and take a walk down GoRaGoGama with your boyfriend, Ranil Rajapaksa.