It's just not cricket in Sri Lanka

OK I’ll own up. I’m a big sports fan. And today I’ll have to admit that I’ve got half an eye on events in St Lucia.At 4.30 this afternoon England take on Sri Lanka for a place in the final of the Twenty20 World Cup. Can the England cricket team finally win a major international trophy? I’m twitching with anticipation. So advance apologies if my browser keeps on flicking to the BBC for live coverage. The captain, Paul Collingwood, certainly thinks so as both The Daily Mail and The Guardian reported this morning.However, the reality is that when it comes to Sri Lanka the situation on the ground, simply is, well, not cricket.Next Tuesday will mark 12 months since the end of the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, commonly known as the Tamil Tigers. It was supposed to herald a new era of peace, yet a year on and it is as bleak as ever.There are still 80,000 men, women and children held in camps – with restricted access to sanitation, water and medicines and no freedom of movement.A further 300,000 have been displaced and are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. The government meanwhile continues to extend the state of emergency – restricting the media and freedom of speech. Just last week Amnesty released an update on the daily problems media workers face in Sri Lanka.So while thousands will be tuning into the events in St Lucia spare a thought for the horrible reality for thousands more suffering in Sri Lanka.