The Hon. (Dr.) Sandaruwan Madarasinghe

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Gazette of 2025.09.04 concerning the Amendment to the Convention against Doping in Sport. For 76 years, blue and green governments have left our youth and schoolchildren with an “ice culture,” “powder (heroin) culture,” and underworld violence, failing to build a sports culture, especially in rural schools.

¶ 02 We recall as children, when politicians came to villages, they arrived in flashy vehicles, with entourages including local thugs and racketeers—this is how that culture spread nationwide. In my Hambantota District, in recent months we saw massive seizures: over 50,000 kg of precursor chemicals for ice manufacturing in Midigama area; over 700 kg of heroin seized around Tangalle; an ice manufacturing facility raided; gruesome murders including of small children; and large caches of weapons. Perhaps drugs had entered earlier too, but for the first time in history, such reveals and arrests have happened at this scale—implicating local politicians. Had 700 kg of heroin and precursors for 50,000 kg of ice been distributed, we would be talking not of sports culture but a “zombie culture.” The National People’s Power government has five MPs from our district; we are united to eradicate drugs, ice, and underworld culture, working through the District Coordinating Committee and security agencies. Some bankrupt politicians give soundbites alleging our ties to traffickers. We categorically deny protecting any trafficker; our aim is to eliminate them. Let those with “voice cuts” go to the police; do not build fake images in the media.

¶ 03 We are probing links across districts—who the “Manamperis” connected to Midigama suspects are, who the “Sanalas” in Ambalantota and Mawaramandiya are, etc. These must be exposed.

¶ 04 Sports facilities are concentrated in big city schools; village schools lack them. Then betting syndicates and match-fixing enter sports; discipline issues arise. We must expand sport nationwide while removing banned substances and bookmakers’ influence, aligning our legal regime with global standards. Our government is intervening to build a sports culture. Previous regimes promoted favorite sports and even murdered athletes who rose above—like Wasim Thajudeen in 2012, initially called a “natural death” with alcohol and carbon monoxide, later in 2015-16 found to be a planned, cruel murder. How can the same death be natural and then a homicide?

¶ 05 Hon. Presiding Member: You have two more minutes.

¶ 06 We have since found that a Siriliya Saviya Foundation Defender followed Thajudeen’s car. After our government took office, investigations identified “Midigama Kajjā” boarding the following vehicle; at that time, he worked as a driver in a Ministry. As he was implicated, “Medamulana Kajjalā” began feigning sympathy, saying he wants to give “relief to Thajudeen’s soul.” They had enough time back then. Now we will deliver justice to Thajudeen’s soul through proper investigations. This government is building a sports culture and removing these evils to give youth and schoolchildren sport instead of a drug and underworld culture. Thank you.