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‘Sober’ Ramith fined 50% of tour fee for ‘touching’ cabin door
View(s):Sri Lanka ‘A’ Team cricketer Ramith Rambukwella was not drunk on a British Airways flight, and had only “touched” the door of the aircraft, an inquiry conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has found. “He was not under the influence of liquor,” said SLC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Ashley de Silva. “He had had a couple of wines, but not hard liquor.”
“He had not tried to open the aircraft door,” he continued. “He had thought it was the toilet door and only touched it. Then people shouted, but he could not hear them because he was wearing headphones.” At this point, the cabin crew had rushed up to Ramith and stopped him.
The SLC Executive Committee last week decided to fine Ramith 50% of his fee from the Sri Lanka ‘A’ Team’s tour of West Indies held in May-June. It remains unclear why this penalty was imposed if no serious offence was committed. “We conducted an inquiry and decided to fine him for bringing disrepute to the organisation while wearing a SLC t-shirt,” explained Mr de Silva. “That is the reason for the punishment.”
“Although he didn’t try to open it (cabin door) the passengers panicked,” he said, when asked whether it was justifiable to penalise Ramith, if he had not been drunk, and if he had only “touched” the aircraft door. The incident occurred on June 30, on a British Airways flight from Grenada to Gatwick, London. Initial news reports said that an intoxicated Ramith had mistakenly tried to open the aircraft door, thinking it was the toilet door. This had caused panic among passengers who had shouted out to him. The airplane was 35,000 feet in the air at the time.
Mr de Silva said the SLC committee which investigated the incident, had sought a report from British Airways on the incident, but none were made available. Civil aviation authorities had also not filed a report. The inquiry was, therefore, conducted in the absence of such evidence. The findings are contained in a confidential report circulated among members of the SLC Executive Committee, Mr de Silva claimed.
Ramith, son of Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, earlier claimed that he had been sleepwalking inside the aircraft. His father dismissed it as a minor incident and insisted that his son was not an alcoholic.
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