Socialist Equality Party

News & Analysis

Sri Lankan government’s bogus inquiry into the civil war

By K. Ratnayake, 1 September 2010

Sri Lanka’s Commission on Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation (LLRC) has begun its hearings into the reasons for the “failure of the ceasefire agreement” with the Liberation Tigers of Eelam (LTTE), the subsequent renewed civil war and proposals for “national reconciliation”.

Sri Lankan government evicts street hawkers and shanty dwellers

By Vilani Peiris, 27 August 2010

The Sri Lankan government recently approved a plan to evict 66,000 families from shanties in Colombo to make way for private developers and investors. At the same time, police have been deployed to clear the streets of hawkers to make the capital more attractive for tourists. The scheme will be extended to cities and towns in other parts of the island.

Sri Lankan government to evict 66,000 families in Colombo

By W.A. Sunil, 20 August 2010

President Mahinda Rajapakse’s cabinet approved a defence ministry plan last week to evict 66,000 families from shanties in Colombo City and suburbs to release land for big business. Nearly half a million people will lose their homes and, in many cases, their livelihoods, as they are forced to move to uncertain alternative accommodation.

Sri Lankan military court convicts former army commander

By Sujeewa Amaranath, 18 August 2010

A Sri Lankan military court convicted former presidential candidate and army commander General Sarath Fonseka last Friday of “engaging in active politics while in uniform”. He will be stripped of his military rank, medals, honours, pension and other benefits, and be barred from military installations.

Two Sri Lankan opposition MPs cross over to government

By M. Vasanthan and W.A. Sunil, 16 August 2010

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse took a step toward his goal of achieving a two-thirds parliamentary majority, and the ability to amend the constitution, when two opposition parliamentarians joined his ruling coalition on August 5. The constitutional amendments being prepared are designed to further entrench Rajapakse in power and legitimise his anti-democratic methods of rule.

Sri Lankan president forced to sack deputy minister

By Nanda Wickremasinghe, 14 August 2010

Faced with mounting protests by workers, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse was forced to sack Mervin Silva from his post as deputy highways minister on Tuesday. Silva was also suspended as a member of Rajapakse’s Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP)—the main component of the ruling coalition.

Armed mob sets fire to Sri Lankan TV/radio station

By Panini Wijesiriwardena, 11 August 2010

In the early hours of July 30, an armed mob stormed the Siyatha TV and radio station in central Colombo, and set fire to the premises. Two station employees and a security guard were injured. The attack is part of a continuing campaign of violence and intimidation by pro-government thugs, acting in collusion with the country’s security forces. No one has been arrested, despite police claims that they are carrying out “extensive investigations”.

Sri Lankan students protest against police over university death

By Suranga Siriwardena and Kapila Fernando, 29 July 2010

Thousands of university students have taken part in protests for the past three days over the death of Susantha Aruna Bandara, a third-year student at Ruhuna university in southern Sri Lanka. Bandara died last Friday, one month after a police attack on a student demonstration at Ruhuna university.

Sri Lankan government enlists services of former LTTE leader

By Athiyan Silva, 27 July 2010

Further evidence has emerged in recent weeks of the continuing political disintegration of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was militarily crushed in May 2009 by the Sri Lankan military. Several reports indicate that Selvarasa Pathmanathan, also known as KP, who took over as LTTE leader after the death of V. Prabhakaran, is now actively collaborating with the Sri Lankan government and military intelligence.

Sri Lankan government pushes university privatisation

By Kapila Fernando, 24 July 2010

The Sri Lankan government is pressing ahead with plans to open university education up to private businesses as a means of further cutting public spending. Perversely, ministers and the media point to the deterioration of public education—caused by successive Colombo governments—to argue that only the private sector can solve the problem.

Sri Lankan protest reveals discontent over wages

By Vilani Peiris, 22 July 2010

A protest by 250 workers in the Colombo suburb of Ratmalana last Thursday pointed to the growing unrest among working people in Sri Lanka over rising prices and deteriorating living standards. At the same time, the organisers—ex-lefts of the Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP)—demonstrated their determination to block any independent political struggle against the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse, which has suppressed real wages for the past four years.

Sri Lanka: Mattakkuliya slum dwellers denounce police-military repression

By our correspondents, 19 July 2010

Sri Lankan police have announced plans to charge more than 200 local residents following the police-military roundup of thousands of slum dwellers in Mattakkuliya, a northern suburb of Colombo, on July 4. Those to be charged include 22 who were arrested and remain detained.

Sri Lankan government uses emergency laws to charge former presidential candidate

By Sarath Kumara, 16 July 2010

President Mahinda Rajapakse’s Sri Lankan government has invoked its draconian emergency regulations to lay serious criminal charges against the defeated president candidate, ex-Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka.

Thousands of Colombo slum dwellers rounded up by Sri Lankan military

By W.A. Sunil and Panini Wijesiriwardena, 10 July 2010

The Sri Lankan military and police violently attacked hundreds of people, and later rounded up thousands of residents at Mattakkuliya in northern Colombo last weekend.

Sri Lankan government speeds up slum evictions in Colombo

By W.A. Sunil, 9 July 2010

The Sri Lankan government is moving to speed up the military-supervised eviction of thousands of poor families who live in Colombo’s slums. On June 28, divisional secretariats were ordered to provide details of “unauthorised” structures within two weeks.

Sri Lanka: Government-backed protesters besiege UN office over war crimes investigation

By K. Ratnayake, 8 July 2010

The Sri Lankan government of President Mahinda Rajapakse blatantly assisted protesters who, led by a cabinet minister, took more than 120 UN office staff hostage in Colombo for up to seven hours on Tuesday. A protest blockade of the office was still continuing yesterday.

Sri Lankan budget imposes IMF austerity demands

By Saman Gunadasa and K. Ratnayake, 3 July 2010

Sri Lankan deputy finance minister Sarath Amunugama presented a delayed interim budget for 2010 on Tuesday, outlining plans for austerity measures to meet the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Sri Lankan authorities ban student group from Jaffna campus

By Subash Somachandran, 29 June 2010

Authorities at Jaffna University in northern Sri Lanka prevented a group of student leaders from the Inter University Student Federation (IUSF) from visiting the campus on June 12. While the IUSF was the immediate target, the broader aim behind the ban was to suppress all political activity on the campus.

UN sets up limited inquiry into human rights in Sri Lanka

By K. Ratnayake, 28 June 2010

The Sri Lankan government has reacted angrily to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s June 22 appointment of an expert panel to advise him on human rights violations in the final stage of the island’s civil war. Thousands of civilians were killed by the Sri Lankan military’s bombardments in the months leading up to the defeat of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May 2009.

Sri Lankan government prepares major constitutional changes

By Nanda Wickremasinghe, 24 June 2010

Just two months after parliamentary elections, the Sri Lankan government is preparing a series of far-reaching constitutional amendments that will further entrench President Mahinda Rajapakse in power and enhance his autocratic methods of rule.

Sri Lankan government holds victory celebrations

By K. Ratnayake, 22 June 2010

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse presided over celebrations last Friday to mark one year since the defeat of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last May. His speech combined militarist triumphalism and a whitewash of his government’s war crimes with another call to working people to “sacrifice” to build the nation.

Sri Lankan union bureaucrats prevent SEP member speaking

By Panini Wijesiriwardena, 19 June 2010

At a delegates meeting of the Trade Union Confederation (TUC) in Colombo on June 10, union bureaucrats physically prevented a Socialist Equality Party (SEP) representative from speaking. The assault was aimed at preventing any discussion of the critical political issues facing the working class.

Sri Lankan president visits India to improve relations

By K. Ratnayake, 17 June 2010

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse visited India for four days last week in a bid to repair relations that were strained last year in the final months of Colombo’s war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lankan government prepares for austerity measures

By Saman Gunadasa, 14 June 2010

The Sri Lankan government last week presented parliament with expenditure estimates as part of an appropriation bill for 2010. The large allocations for debt repayments and defence indicate that savage cuts will be made elsewhere, in particular to social spending, when the budget is finally brought down on June 29.

Sri Lanka: Widespread malnutrition among women and children

By Sujeewa Amaranath and Kapila Fernando, 10 June 2010

Recently released surveys reveal that acute malnutrition is rife among Sri Lankan children and women, as a result of the country’s 30-year civil war and widespread poverty throughout the country.

Sri Lankan government plans extensive slum clearance evictions

By W.A Sunil, 7 June 2010

Thousands of shanty dwellers in Colombo face the prospect of losing their homes and livelihoods as the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse implements its City of Colombo Development Plan. The plan, aimed at turning the capital into “the financial and commercial hub of the South Asian region,” is part of broader efforts to attract foreign investment and tourists.

More Colombo families targetted for eviction

By W.A. Sunil and R. Shreeharan, 7 June 2010

Shanty dwellers living near the Grand Pass canal in north Colombo were told by government officials on May 31 that all structures within six and a half metres of the canal bank would be removed. Residents were given tokens carrying the stamp of the Land Reclamation and Development Board.

Sri Lanka gets US support on bogus human rights inquiry

By K. Ratnayake, 4 June 2010

Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G. L. Peiris visited Washington last week to patch up relations with the US and fend off continuing demands for an international investigation into the war crimes carried out by the Sri Lankan military in the final stages of its war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

WSWS reporters visit the devastated Sri Lankan town of Kilinochchi

By our correspondents, 2 June 2010

One year after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Sri Lankan government claims that life is returning to normal in the war-ravaged Vanni region. But as our reporting team found during their recent visit to Kilinochchi, that is far from the case. Tens of thousands of civilians who lost everything during the fighting have been “resettled” in the area with little government assistance.

Sri Lankan government exploits flood disaster to evict slum dwellers

By Sujeewa Amaranath, 28 May 2010

More than half a million people have been affected by this month’s floods in Sri Lanka. Officially, 700 houses have been destroyed, and another 3,833 partially damaged. Around 14,000 people are still living in temporary displacement camps without basic facilities.

Sri Lankan military presses cases against Fonseka

By Sarath Kumara, 26 May 2010

The Sri Lankan government and military are proceeding with their political vendetta against former army commander General Sarath Fonseka—the failed opposition candidate in the country’s presidential election in January. Fonseka was detained in February amid trumped up allegations that he was planning a coup against President Mahinda Rajapakse. He is currently facing two courts martial—over alleged political activity while in uniform and corruption involving military tenders. Fonseka has denied the charges and launched cases in civil courts arguing that he is being improperly held and tried by the military.

Sri Lanka: IMF insists on severe austerity measures

By Nanda Wickremasinghe, 24 May 2010

After a 10-day inspection visit, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Sri Lanka announced last Thursday that it was “encouraged” by the government’s planned measures to cut the budget deficit. However, the IMF will continue to withhold the third installment of its $US2.6 billion loan until after the government delivers further spending cuts in its long-delayed 2010 budget, now planned for June 29.

Half a million people affected by floods in Sri Lanka

By W.A. Sunil and Kapila Fernando, 22 May 2010

Floods caused by heavy rain in several areas of Sri Lanka have affected more than half a million people, and taken at least 20 lives. Torrential pre-monsoon rains were worsened by cyclone Laila, which formed in the Bay of Bengal.

Jaffna: One year after the end of the war in Sri Lanka

By Subash Somachandran and Kamal Rasenthiran, 20 May 2010

It is now a year since President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government claimed to have “liberated” the Tamil population from the “terrorism” of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). However, there has been no improvement in the lives of the people of Jaffna and other northern towns since the LTTE’s defeat last May. Instead, there is an intensified military occupation, with many people living in refugee camps or makeshift huts and thousands of youth still under detention.

ICG report exposes Sri Lankan government’s war crimes

By K. Ratnayake, 19 May 2010

A 54-page report by the Brussels-based think tank, the International Crisis Group (ICG), provides further evidence of major war crimes committed by the Sri Lankan government and military in the final months of the civil war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lankan defence ministry begins evicting poor in Colombo

By our correspondent, 15 May 2010

Residents held a protest at Slave Island in central Colombo yesterday, opposing the demolition of their houses by the military on the orders of the Defence Ministry.

Sri Lankan military takes over urban development

By Nanda Wickremasinghe, 13 May 2010

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse’s self-proclaimed “economic war” to “build the nation” took on a new meaning last weekend when the Urban Development Authority (UDA) utilised soldiers and police to crack down on street hawkers, evict families from shanties in the Slave Island area of central Colombo and demolish 45 “illegal structures.”

In cynical gesture, Sri Lankan president pardons journalist

By Vilani Peiris, 12 May 2010

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister, G.L. Peiris, announced at a press conference last week that President Mahinda Rajapakse had decided to grant a pardon to journalist J.S. Tissanayagam to mark World Press Freedom Day. Tissanayagam was convicted on trumped-up charges last August and sentenced to 20 years jail with hard labour in a decision that provoked outrage in Sri Lanka and internationally.

Sri Lankan defence ministry begins evicting poor in Colombo

By our correspondent, 10 May 2010

The newly re-elected Sri Lankan government has deployed the police and the military to evict poor families from Colombo, and begun removing street hawkers from cities to clear the way for business projects.

Sri Lanka: State-owned newspaper publishes death threat against SEP

By Wije Dias, 8 May 2010

The Sri Lankan government-owned Daily News, on its editorial page on April 23, published a highly provocative article against the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) that contained an explicit death threat against the party.

Sri Lankan government extends state of emergency

By K. Ratnayake, 7 May 2010

The newly-elected Sri Lankan parliament ratified a proclamation by President Mahinda Rajapakse on Wednesday to extend the present emergency regulations, as is required monthly. The government indicated there would be no end to emergency rule, which, with the exception of a few years, has been in force since the start of the civil war with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 1983.

Sri Lankan workers face austerity measures

By Saman Gunadasa, 3 May 2010

Sri Lanka’s Central Bank annual report for 2009, issued last month, claims that “the optimism created by the restoration of peace, the conducive macroeconomic environment, complemented by the global economic recovery has placed the economy in a position to grow at a faster rate”. The bank predicts growth of 6.5 percent in 2010, up from 3.2 percent in 2009.

Sri Lanka: New government threat against the media

By W.A. Sunil, 30 April 2010

In his first press conference yesterday, Sri Lanka’s newly installed deputy media minister, Mervin Silva, warned the media to toe the government’s line. Coming from a man who has been closely associated with the government’s intimidation of the media, the comments amount to another threat against journalists and news organisations.

Sri Lanka: The political decomposition of the LSSP

By Vilani Peiris, 29 April 2010

The April 8 parliamentary election has again underlined the putrefaction of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP). In the 1940s and 1950s, the party commanded the allegiance of the most militant and class conscious sections of workers on the basis of the struggle for Trotskyism. Today, having betrayed those principles in 1964, it is a desiccated corpse that functions as loyal faction of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

Sri Lanka: Opposition parties unanimously back new parliamentary speaker

By Nanda Wickremasinghe, 27 April 2010

When the new Sri Lankan parliament was sworn in last Thursday, one aspect of the proceedings underlined the degree to which the entire Colombo political establishment supports the anti-working class agenda of President Mahinda Rajapakse. Government and opposition parties came together to vote unanimously to install the president’s elder brother Chamal in the key post of parliamentary speaker.

Sri Lanka: New cabinet installed to implement austerity program

By K. Ratnayake, 24 April 2010

Following the April 8 parliamentary election, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse appointed the new cabinet yesterday in preparation for what will be a far reaching offensive against the living standards of workers. He has put in place a ministry that will not only implement the austerity agenda being demanded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but seek to suppress the inevitable resistance of working people.

New parliament opens in Sri Lanka

By K. Ratnayake, 23 April 2010

The first session of the new Sri Lankan parliament took place yesterday after the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) won the April 8 general election. While parliamentary forms were observed to the last detail, the proceedings contained unmistakable signs of the country’s political crisis and the growing irrelevance of the institution itself.

Sri Lankan defence secretary proposes further security laws

By Vilani Peiris, 21 April 2010

In an interview with the Island newspaper on April 17, Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse called for the next parliament to enact new security laws to crack down on “separatism” and “terrorism”. While nominally directed against the defeated Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the remarks foreshadow a broader attack on the democratic rights of working people.

Sri Lankan government revives law to suppress student protests

By Kapila Fernando, 19 April 2010

The University Grant Commission (UGC) in Sri Lanka recently issued a circular that revives legislation aimed against political protests on campuses throughout the island. The notice comes as the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse prepares to bring down its delayed budget that will slash social spending in line with the International Monetary Fund’s demands.

Sri Lankan writer arrested for offending Buddhism

By Kalyana Amaranayake and Panini Wijesiriwardena, 13 April 2010

In a blatantly anti-democratic move, Sri Lanka police arrested writer Sarah Malini Perera, 38, on March 20 for allegedly offending Buddhism. Perera, who resides in Bahrain and was arrested while on holiday in Sri Lanka, has written two books in vernacular Sinhala detailing her conversion from Buddhism to Islam while working in the Middle East. Her lawyers filed a case on March 30 demanding her immediate release, but she remains in custody.

Sri Lanka: A revealing breach of the constitution

By Sujeewa Amaranath, 12 April 2010

Just before Sri Lanka’s general election last Thursday, the government prevented three opposition MPs from the United National Party (UNP) from taking their oaths and parliamentary seats. While the immediate issue has been superseded by the poll results, the incident underlines President Mahinda Rajapakse’s contempt for parliamentary norms and the country’s constitution.