Ranatunga to join anti-peace march

Arjuna Ranatunga, former Sri Lankan World Cup-winning captain and current member of parliament, has revealed that he will be joining an ultra nationalist anti-peace march.

The 72 mile five-day march from Kandy to Colombo, organised by the newly-formed Patriotic National Movement (PNM), is a protest against the Norwegian-backed peace initiative with the Tamil Tigers rebels in the north.

A ceasefire in the island has held for over 18 months now, ending a bloody conflict that claimed over 60,000 lives since 1972.

However, PNM leaders argue that the peace initiative is damaging the country by allowing foreigners to exploit Sri Lanka's meagre national resources.

Ranatunga, now 39, has thrown his support behind the movement: I am here because I stand for what I believe in...I want to make my contribution to protect the country."