CWI - International Link
CWI - Internation Link

July 30, 2010
 
Press release from United Socialist Party

Dear fellow fighters against oppression and injustice,

It is very painful to see the Photo Document of the three decade war in Sri Lanka where my fellow Tamil brothers and sisters have been slaughtered without any mercy by the Racist Sinhala regime. While no words of praise can be attributed to these ghastly episodic events, but I would unreservedly congratulate the efforts of you all for documenting this as a lesson of reminder for future generations.

Presently the Sri Lankan regime is still basking in the shine of “winning” the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, and are behaving as if the problem of the Tamil nationality struggle is over and done with. But the reality of life is different from assumptions, new seeds of discontent are being sown in the North and the East of Sri Lanka, a communalisation drive is on under the patronage of the Sri Lankan state to coerce the Tamil and Tamil speaking population into further submission. Read More...

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July 20, 2010

Government's victory celebrations and building the country

By Srinath perera
Editor, ‘Rathu Tharuwa’ News Paper 

The Sri Lankan government celebrated the first anniversary of the war victory achieved over the LTTE and killing of Prabakaran on June 18, 2009.

President Mahinda Rajapakse, well known for his gimmicks such as speaking few words in Tamil, spoke only in Sinhala at this big ceremony. The ceremony was conducted in a manner which glorified the Sinhala nation, further pushing the Tamil people away from the Sinhala capitalist ruling class.  

The first anniversary of the victory over the LTTE was celebrated barely a month before the 27th anniversary of the black July of 1983, which happened to be the bloodiest attack ever against  the Tamil community in Sri Lanka. Tamils who lived in Colombo and the southern part of Sri Lanka were subjected to inhuman attacks by Sinhala goons led by a Cabinet Minister of then J.R Jayewardene government. Hundreds of Tamils were killed, some burnt alive, and their properties were looted or set on fire. Finally, whoever survived was evicted and chased away from their homes. The exodus of Tamils particularly to the western countries began after this pogrom. Read More...

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June 24, 2010

Lanka E News

Cited directly from http://www.lankaenews.com/Sinhala/news.php?id=13845

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June 21, 2010

Press Release

Defeat Undemocratic Constitutional Amendments!

The Sri Lankan government has announced its proposals for the amendment of the constitution. The main item of these proposals is the removal of the existing two term limit to hold office as the president. President Mahinda Rajapakse wants to amend this provision so that he can contest the election for the presidency any number of times and he seems to believe that he could win presidential elections as long as he would contest.

The whole set of proposals are aimed at the strengthening the post of executive president. Previously, President Rajapakse promised that he would abolish the post of executive president at the end of his first term. Now he wants to remove all the fetters that are in place to check the seemingly unrestricted and absolute powers of the president. Read More...

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May 07, 2010

USP Celebrated 2010 May Day in Colombo

No to Capitalism and Communalism
Build working class unity in the north and south

By Lankasocialist correspondent

This year, the USP held its May Day celebrations consisting of a demonstration and a rally in Colombo.  The demonstration was started at Orugodawatta and the public rally was held at Kosgas Handiya, Grandpass.

The public rally was chaired by Government Printing Workers Union Joint Secretary Reginald Fernando. Siritunga Jayasuriya was the main speaker at the rally. Other speakers were USP Women’s Front Organizers Dhammika Silva and Anoma Adikaram, PS Member M.K.Piyarathna, ‘Rathu Tharuwa’ Editor Srinath Perera, Free Trade Union Nuwaraeliya District Secretary Murugasu Chandiran, and Jaffna USP Organizer Subramaniam Nagularagah.

A USP spokesperson reported to lankasocialist that the USP considers the 2010 May Day to be very significant at this moment. This year the USP May Day theme was “no to capitalism and communalism and build working class unity in the north and south to over throw the capitalisms”. Read More...

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April 26, 2010

USP Socialist May Day 2010

By LankaSocialist Correspondent

The United Socialist Party, it's affiliated trade unions and youth organizations have scheduled their May Day celebration to be held in Colombo on May 1st. On that day, USP will have a demonstration and a rally; the demonstration will start at Meetotamulla Railway Gate Junction at 2.00 pm and will progress along Avissawella Road to Orugodawatta Junction, Stays Road, and Grand Pass Road to Kosgashandiya.

May Day rally will be commenced at Kosgashandiya Junction at 4.00 pm. The Leaders of USP, trade unions, and youth organizations will address the meeting.

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April 26, 2010

General Election 2010

Consolidation of Chauvinism - Mass Opposition Needed

www.socialistworld.net,
website of the committee for a workers' international, CWI

Siritunga Jayasuriya, United Socialist Party (CWI in Sri Lanka) & Senan, CWI

After much delay and the re-running of the election in a couple of districts because of election violence, the final result of the Sri Lanklan general election was announced on Wednesday, 21 April.

A record 7,680 candidates contested 196 seats in 22 electoral districts in the 14th April26_uspparliamentary election in Sri Lanka held on 8 April 2010. Thirty six political parities and a large number of individuals participated.; 836 candidates stood in the Colombo district alone. These figures were paraded by the ruling class as a sign of a flourishing democracy. They claimed it was a ‘new beginning’ after 30 years of civil war, which was brought to its brutal end in May last year. But this talk of ’flourishing democracy’ is far from the truth.

In fact this election registered a record low turnout, with the average ranging just above 50%. The lowest turnout was in the Jaffna district with just 18%. If the internally displaced people (IDPs) were included, this only rose to 23%. This was the lowest turnout in the country’s history since its independence from British colonial rule. This is a shocking result as Sri Lanka has a long history of high turnouts of somewhere around 80% in elections. In the last election it was 76%. The lowest ever was 64% in 1989.

This election was also marked by a record increase in violent intimidation and corruption. Around 1,000 complaints were recorded. On the day of the election, the Centre For Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) recorded 84 major incidents, including 53 incidents near the poling stations and 189 violations of electoral law. But the actual number is believed to be even higher as the monitoring agencies were prevented from functioning properly. The seriousness of the violence and violation of electoral law resulted in the suspension of ballot-counting in 34 poling stations and re-elections had to be called in two districts - Trincomalee and Kandy and was rescheduled for 20 April, after the Tamil/Sinhala new year holiday period. Read More...

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April 05, 2010

Dictator can be overthrown!

By Siritunga Jayasuriya

What are the political perspectives for Sri Lanka in the coming period?  Since 2007 there has been wave after wave of elections.  After the parliamentary and provincial elections due in 2010, however, no further elections are scheduled for some time.  Under normal circumstances, elections under capitalist rule provide an opportunity for the masses to weigh, measure and exercise their democratic rights; however in Sri Lanka, the ruling capitalist parties use elections for exactly the opposite purpose – to subvert, claw back and destroy democratic rights of the people.  The Rajapakse regime uses elections to try to drown out and suppress the rising anger and militancy of the working class, youth and poor masses, and to bury the democratic rights of the masses one by one and the press freedom by arousing Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism in the country.

Amidst grave fraud and procedural malpractice, Rajapakse has been re-enthroned as president.  The government has already brazenly declared that this second chapter of Rajapakse rule is to be extended to 7 years – contemptuously dismissing the constitution’s requirement that a presidential term be limited to 6 years.  Not sated with even that fraud, the Rajapakse ruling gang demands of the masses a 2/3rd majority at the upcoming parliamentary general election.  Why?  Precisely to establish an autocratic political dictatorship, beyond all democratic control and accountability, with gigantic political power concentrated in its own hands. Read More...

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USP_letter_april1

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March 21, 2010

Rajapakse Creates another “Ghost”

By Lankasocialist Correspondent

President Rajapakse and the United People’s Alliance have created a new “ghost” to use in the April 2010 general election campaign.

The ruling party is trying to use the recent statement issued by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to boost the Sinhala nationalism. UN Secretary General issued a statement saying that he is planning on appointing a team of experts to advise him on the accountability of Sri Lankan government forces and the LTTE for various alleged violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

In all the previous elections, the capitalist Sri Lankan government politicians created a “ghost” to arouse Sinhala nationalistic feelings so that they can garner votes especially from the Sinhala rural masses.  In this election, the Rajapakse government deliberately uses UN Secretary General’s statement to boost Sinhala nationalistic feelings and prevent the problems faced by the internally displaced Tamil people in the north of Sri Lanka from surfacing. Read More...

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March 15, 2010

URGENT ACTION REQUIRED!

Activists threatened in Sri lanka-Urgent action needed

Activists threatened in Sri Lanka-Urgent action needed

On 2 March, a Sri Lankan news website, Lankanewsweb, published the names of human rights defenders and journalists featured on a list it alleged were compiled by a Sri Lankan intelligence unit. Amnesty International fears that the list was leaked to the press as part of a government campaign to intimidate those named on it, and stop them from speaking out against the authorities. Two male human rights defenders, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu and J. C. Weliamuna, are at particular risk.

The list names 35 media activists, NGO heads and individuals engaged in “international outreach” and grade them, apparently according to their importance to the intelligence services. Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Executive Director of the Sri Lankan NGO, the Centre for Policy Alternatives, and J.C. Weliamuna, Sri Lanka Director of international NGO Transparency International, have both been threatened previously and are graded as being of great interest to the intelligence services on the list. Other colleagues from their organizations are also named. Read More...

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March 15, 2010

Sri Lanka: A crises overlooked

By James Naish
http://www.student-direct.co.uk/2010/03/sri-lanka-a-crises-overlooked/

Sri Lanka: A crises overlooked-James NaishBetween 1983 and 2009, Sri Lanka was engulfed by the raging civil war between the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The World Health Organisation estimates that there have been more than 215,000 deaths, overwhelmingly affecting the Tamil population, as a result of the civil war. Between 2005 and 2009, more than 1.3 million people were displaced. There are numerous documented extrajudicial killings and cases of rape of Tamil people, although only one individual has ever been prosecuted.

In 2008-2009, the SLA launched a full-scale military assault against the LTTE in the north. The first five months of this assault saw the deaths of more than 20,000 Tamil civilians, with a further 30,000 being severely disabled. As the SLA stormed through the Tamil-populated Northern Province, more than 250,000 Tamil people were detained in prison camps, where one fifth of children have been separated from their parents. The death toll due to disease and malnutrition reached 1,400 weekly in July 2009. Basic sanitation and healthcare are severely lacking, and food is scarce. Today, the camps remain open with hundreds of thousands still detained. Read More...


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