South Asia

As Pakistan-administered Kashmir once again grinds to a halt under strikes and security crackdowns, the current unrest is best understood not as a sudden eruption, but as the latest chapter in a slow-building crisis of […]

It has been more   than a month since the Tamil Nadu election results were declared. The massive electoral wave swept aside both the DMK, AIADMK and brought the newly formed TVK to power.  The results […]

The Tamil Nadu state election, held on 23rd April, shocked the entire state political establishment. The newly formed TVK (Tamiḻaga Vettri Kazhagam — Tamil Nadu Victory Party), led by Kollywood film star, Joseph Vijay, won 108 seats (35%). This […]

A growing wave of unrest is beginning to sweep across the Indian working class, reflecting worsening living conditions and intensifying contradictions within the capitalist system. This trend has become visible through a series of protests […]

Cambridge and Oxford university unions cancelled debates scheduled for the end of March involving Namal Rajapaksa, the son of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. Tamil Solidarity and various youth and student groups organised opposition […]

On 12th February, ten central trade unions announced one a day general strike in continuation of their struggle against new labour codes that completely undermine even the basic rights of workers. This is with the […]

  On September 24, a significant protest was organised in Pune by Shramik Hakk Andolan, a registered labour union associated with New Socialist Alternative, to highlight the persistent and unresolved problems faced by construction workers. The […]

It has been more than a year since the current government, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, came to power. Since the National People’s Power (NPP) government took office, there has been ongoing debate about its […]

Nepal has now joined the long list of developing nations revolting against a rotten and corrupt ruling elite. The immediate trigger was the government’s decision to ban 26 social media platforms on Thursday, 4 September. […]

The following article by Michael Lenin from the Democratic Socialist Movement (CWI Nigeria) looks at the explosive events in Nepal, which saw mass youth protests lead to the fall of the Prime Minisiter, Sharma Oli. […]

The arrest of Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former Sri Lankan president, even on what some might dismiss as a minor charge, is not a “victory” in itself but a political warning. For decades, the ruling class […]

The New Socialist Alternative (NSA) in Pune city, India, took part in the rally organized as part of the one-day general strike held on 9 July 2025. The NSA-linked union, Shramik Hakk Andolan, also mobilized […]

The Results The local election concluded on 6 May in Sri Lanka marks the beginning of a loss of support for the National People’s Power / Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (NPP / JVP) (formally a “leftist” […]

Pakistan’s Defence Minister claimed on 29 April that India is likely to take military action, something that has the potential to escalate into an all-out war between these nuclear-armed countries. The recent tensions were provoked by the […]

On the 54th anniversary of the rebellion launched by Wijeweera (founder of the JVP – Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) on April 5, 1971, there has been great curiosity and discussion in Sri Lankan society about the […]

“The National People’s Power (NPP) government coalition won an absolute majority in the recent parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka. The seats of the traditional parties in the regions of the north-east of the Tamil speaking […]

A discussion has emerged in society about the nature of the National People’s Power (NPP) government, formed under the leadership of Anura Kumara Dissanayake. There was an old saying in Sri Lanka about how a […]

The Anura Kumara Dissanayake-led National People’s Power (NPP) won an unexpectedly large victory in the elections held on November 14 in Sri Lanka. This is a huge victory for the NPP in parliament. This is […]

Sri Lanka’s general election, held on 14 November, marked a breaking-point in the country’s political history. The National People’s Power (NPP) secured an extraordinary 159 seats, achieving a two-thirds majority in Parliament. This result shocked […]

For the first time in Sri Lanka’s history, the country finds itself under the leadership of a president—Anura Kumara Dissanayake—who hails from a party with a left-leaning background. However, despite the media’s portrayal of him […]

Though the establishment parties somehow survived the Aragalaya (The Struggle) in 2022, they were never able to win back the full trust of the masses. The ruling Rajapaksa family then stepped back from governmental positions […]

The recently concluded presidential elections have shocked Sri Lanka’s established, corrupt, family-centered political parties. The result, favouring the The Janatha Vimukthi Peramun (JVP –  ’People’s Liberation Front’), which led the National People’s Power (NPP) electoral […]

In the presidential election held on September 21, 2024, Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the presidency by receiving 5,740,179 votes, or 42.3 percent. He will go down in history as the president who failed to secure […]

Sri Lanka’s presidential election held last Saturday resulted in electing Anura Kumara Dissanayake as the ninth executive president of the country. He polled 5,634,915 votes as against his nearest rival Sajith Premadasa who polled 4,363,035 […]

The ninth presidential election that took place on 21 September 2024 is nothing like what has happened in the past. It is the first election since the 2022 mass movement (Aragalaya) that ousted the former […]

Over 75 trade unionists and international visitors attended a conference organised by the Free Trade Union Centre in Sri Lanka, which debated the way forward for workers in that country following the protests of 2022, […]

The United Socialist Party (USP), the Sri Lankan section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI), is contesting in the upcoming September 21st presidential election in Sri Lanka. Siritunga Jeyasuriya is running to highlight […]

The revolutionary mass movement in Bangladesh is at a critical juncture. A 17-member interim government has been established, including in it a few young leaders who emerged from the mass protests which toppled the government. […]

Wickramabahu Karunaratne, who was a giant of the left movement in Sri Lanka, ended his life’s journey on 25th of July. I first met Wickramabahu in the latter half of 1970 when I attended a […]

The following is the text of a Socialist Party (CWI England & Wales) leaflet that is being distributed at large protests in London and other parts of Britain, involving many Bangladeshis and others, over the […]

The results of one of the most important parliamentary elections in the history of India show a resounding setback for the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) regime. Given the numbers, the NDA (National Democratic Alliance) […]

Part 3 The struggle for far sighted Marxist position I was one of the boys in the car that made its way to the Palali airport in the middle of the night. The other is […]

Part 1 Indian military intervention and emergence of political confusion One evening in 1988, when encroaching darkness seemed momentarily halted, in the gentle embrace of the emerging moonlight, a car was driving towards Palali airport. […]

 On 1st May, Shramik Hakk Andolan, a trade union formed by New Socialist Alternative celebrated International Labor Day by organising a rally of workers. This is the third consecutive year that held a rally. Last […]

Over the last month in Ladakh, the eastern part of the Jammu and Kashmir state, massive protests involving hundreds of thousands of people have taken place across the region. They are protesting against the brute […]

In the past one and half months, Pune, in India, became an epicentre of right-wing violence, with series of attacks on education institutions and public places. The first one took place on 23rd January 2024. […]

The general election in Pakistan saw a surge in support for Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, despite it not officially being on the ballot paper. The surge was so strong that the military was […]

Neoliberal assaults on public education in India have intensified in recent years, leading to a surge in private education institutions and a gradual decline in public institutions. Consequently, capitalist interests of the owners of these […]

The extremely right-wing Modi-led BJP government has completed nine years in power, with elections scheduled next year. At this juncture, when we draw political perspectives, we need to assess the processes that have been unfolding […]

A remembrance event for the July 1983 pogroms, which was organized in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday, July 23, was attacked and forcibly stopped by the police. The 1983 pogrom against Tamils is regarded as […]

Part 3 * A weakness of the Galle Face declaration is its calls for the existing parliament to reform itself by changing the way it operates, abolition of the presidency, and possibly enacting a few […]

Part 2 The current regime lacks any viable economic solution other than perpetuating further suffering among the broader population. Their economic survival hinges on the continuation of this brutal suffering for the masses, who are […]

It has been a year since the mass movement erupted in July 2022. The movement now faces a number of questions that need to be addressed. The development of future struggles and their victory depends […]

The ultimate trump card of capitalist political leaders in underdeveloped countries is to promote racism and religious divisions. The purpose of this article is to examine the nature of the deep economic crisis facing the […]

The arrest on corruption charges by police, and then release of the former Pakistani Prime Minister and cricketing celebrity, Imran Khan, have been followed by a massive wave of repression aimed at destroying and decapitating […]

The results of the just concluded Karnataka assembly elections are seen as a great relief. The resounding rebuff that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) received at the hands of Karnataka voters is seen as a […]

The ongoing tensions between the United States and China have continued to escalate as the global economic crisis deepens. While the US economy is still the most powerful in the world, its dominance is being […]

Restart decisive struggle against government attacks! On 20 March, the IMF announced a $3 billion bailout (over 4 years) for Sri Lanka. However, this deal is nowhere near enough to solve the deep crisis that […]

“Go Home Gota” was the slogan with which a new wave of mass struggle started in Sri Lanka in April last year. This struggle then developed into a massive popular uprising, including huge strikes, that […]

On Sri Lankan Independence Day, 4 February, Tamil Solidarity organised a protest to oppose the repressive Sri Lankan regime at the Sri Lankan High Commission in London. The protest was organised with the slogans: “75 years of […]

The Aragalaya (Sinhalese for “struggle”) protests in Sri Lanka, fuelled by a cost-of-living crisis, inspired students and young people across the world. People saw images of masses of protesters taking over the presidential palace and […]

Below is a statement by the Afghan Socialist Assembly on the International Day of Combating Violence Against Women, held on 25 November. The Afghan Socialist Assembly, a group of socialist activists in Afghanistan, lost a […]

Since the victory of the Taliban last year and its coming to power again, a vicious wave of repression has swept over Afghanistan, along with a widespread collapse of the economy and many aspects of […]

The floods caused by the monsoon rains since mid-June 2022 have affected Sindh, Baluchistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) provinces of Pakistan. According to official figures, the massive floods have, […]

Protests were held across Sri Lanka and internationally on 9 November demanding fundamental democratic rights, such as the right to protest, the right to assembly, freedom of speech and the release of all protesters, including […]

The Movement for Peoples Councils (MPC) in Sri Lanka, together with IUSF (Inter University Student Federation), is appealing to the workers, students and youth, internationally, to support the struggle in Sri Lanka.  As a first step, […]

Defend the right to protest Release all those arrested during protests On the 21st July, Ranil Wickremasinghe assumed the Presidency of Sri Lanka after the former President Gotabaya Rajapakse fled his official residence and was […]

The apocalyptic floods which have devastated Pakistan, especially Baluchistan and Sindh, have displaced over 33 million people. Now disease, malaria, dysentery, and skin and eye infections from water-born diseases are becoming rife. Corrupt government and […]

The economic and political turmoil which was taking place in Pakistan has been dramatically worsened by the apocalyptic floods which have devastated the country. The country, if it holds together as a country, will not […]

The devastating floods that have hit Pakistan have had catastrophic consequences for people in the Sind. The floods have resulted in most people becoming homeless and their houses have collapsed. Most of the members of […]

On the day of the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-led ‘interim budget’ announcement for Sri Lanka, thousands of protesters were brutally attacked in the streets of the capital, Colombo. Over 22 were arrested and are being […]

The following statement was circulated by the United Socialist Party (CWI in Sri Lanka) to socialist parties and groups in Sri Lanka from 12th August. Socialistworld.net An open appeal to socialist organisations Building for a […]

On the 18th of August the newly appointed president of Sri Lanka unleashed a brutal attack on a demonstration in Colombo organised by the Inter-University Students Federation (IUSF). The IUSF played a key role during […]

The heavy military moved into protest areas in Colombo last night and during early Friday morning, clearing out the area of demonstrators. The day before, arrest warrants were issued for student protest leaders. The new […]

Tens of thousands gathered in Sri Lanka again today to make sure that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa finally resigned and was gone. With the help of the military, the president was reported to have fled the […]

A historical day was marked on 9 July in Sri Lanka, when the masses decisively entered the pages of history. People from all around the country descended on the capital city Colombo to register their […]

Deepening crisis  Sri Lanka came to a halt early this month as the government announced that it does not have enough fuel or any money available for imports. All private vehicles are banned and schools […]

Which direction Sri Lanka will take in the coming period? Will the establishment move towards consolidating its position, which was jolted by recent mass uprisings led by the youth? Or will the mass youth movement […]

The Sri Lankan government’s attempt to defeat the movement against it has provoked a ferocious reaction from protesters. Just days before, on 6 May, trade unions organised the most successful Hartal (a general stoppage of […]

The following article was written just before the resignation yesterday of Sri Lanka’s prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, after weeks of protests amid an economic crisis. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains in place as demands grow for […]

Some Pictures from of Hartal Day On Friday 6th of May, 2022, the sun rose on the island nation Sri Lanka just as on any other day. But it was not an ordinary day. Hundreds […]

Tens of thousands of workers all over the country came out on strike on Thursday 28 April. They are demanding the resignation of the country’s corrupt president and his family-led government. They have created the […]

Tamil organisations and self-proclaimed leaders in Sri Lanka have so far refused to come out clearly in support of bringing down the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime. With the position of ‘anybody but the Rajapaksas’ in the […]

The economic crisis in Sri Lanka did not appear suddenly but has been in the making for some time. Covid-led destruction devastated the tourist industry and government policies have further accelerated the crisis. The recent […]

Pakistan is the latest south Asian country to be thrown into political, social, and economic turmoil. After a desperate attempt to cling to power, the coalition of opposition parties – Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) […]

As we write protests continue to take place across Sri Lanka the day after protesters defied one of the strongest-ever curfews in place and gathered in many parts of the capital city and across the […]

A spontaneous and countrywide eruption of struggle is now taking place in Sri Lanka. Many youth and workers are gathering in parts of the country to express their anger against the government. Prices of essential […]

From about 7.30 on the night of Thursday, 31 March, thousands of angry protesters besieged the residence of Sri Lanka’s president, Gotabaya Rajapakshe. Buses and other vehicles were set on fire in what could be […]

Four of the five states in India that just recently went to the polls voted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into power, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) swept to victory in Punjab. The Congress […]

Tens of thousands took to the streets of Sri Lanka, on 16 March, demanding the government to act on the spiralling cost of all essential commodities. Street protests have become a common feature and take […]

On 8th March 2022, International Women’s Day, the Sindh Worker’s Alliance (women’s sector) organized a rally from the Sindh Workers’ Alliance (Mirpur Khas) Office to the Press Club Mirpur Khas, led by comrades Sughra Khaskheli, […]

The five state assembly elections in the country were announced amid concerns over the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus. The ongoing elections – in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab – have caught the […]

The Sri Lankan economy is at near collapse. Workers and the poor are asked to pay for this crisis. They face increased employment and increased prices of all essential goods. The government is increasingly dictatorial […]

The president of Sri Lanka, Gotabhaya Rajapaksha, has completed two years in office. He came to power with huge public support from the south of the country, where Sinhala Buddhists predominate. He was defence secretary […]

On 19 November, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, announced the repealing of three farm bills passed last year by his government. It is truly a historic victory of India’s farmers and of the wider […]

The Indian government had been slowly privatising all the state banks in recent years. While canceling the debt of the super rich and changing various laws and regulations to aid the private banking system the […]

On 31 October, the Sindh Workers’ Alliance organized a discussion at the organisation’s office in Mirpur Khas, regarding Pakistan’s largest private housing project, the ‘Bharia Town’, and the protest movement against it and its aftermath. […]

The current severe Covid restrictions have inevitably had an impact on the ongoing protests of teachers and students. However the anger against the government has continued to increase. Many students’ and teachers’ leaders are still […]

On Sunday 15 August, the Taliban reached the capital of Kabul, forcing the US-backed government of Ashraf Ghani from power. Thousands of residents tried desperately to board planes to flee the hard-line Islamic force. After […]

The Taliban are sweeping across Afghanistan, taking one provincial capital after another. Despite over $80bn spent on “security assistance” from the US, since 2002, along with an annual massive military budget, the Afghan army has […]

Thousands of teachers and students in Sri Lanka have been out every day on continuous protest action, defying the government and braving the Covid 19 pandemic. The latest spike in the Covid crisis is actually […]

Since coming to power in November 2019, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government has gone through a severe crisis. Sri Lanka was once the second most powerful economy in Asia, but now it is falling into the […]

As Taliban forces conquer large swathes of Afghanistan, the twenty-year occupation by American and allied imperialist forces is ending in humiliation, chaos, and an ignoble retreat. Describing the war against the Taliban as “unwinnable”, President […]

After a decade in opposition in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the DMK (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – Dravidian Progressive Party) captured power from the AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam- All India […]

The following English language translation of an interview with Siritunga Jayasuriya was conducted by Samantha Rajapaksa and published on the ‘Left Voice’ (Sri Lanka) website. socialistworld.net Siritunga Jayasuriya (Siri) is General Secretary of the United […]

An unmitigated public health disaster is gripping India. The daily number of people infected with Covid-19 has exceeded 350,000 for a week – the highest of any country since the pandemic began. Health services have […]

Women workers constitute the vast majority toiling in Sri Lanka’s main export industries – clothing and tea. They are the two main groups facing the biggest risks from the current Covid 19 crisis. Every day […]

The massive peasant protest of recent months, anchored around India’s capital, Delhi, with wider support across the country, is historic. It is the first time in the seven years of Modi rule that any action […]

Since the beginning of last year, the whole world suffered from the Covid-19 crisis. Though developed capitalist countries seem to ‘manage’ the situation – yet by no means all of them – and are able […]

The Metropolitan Police are investigating British mercenaries’ hand in the massacre of over 100,000 civilians and the brutal defeat of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers), who fought an armed struggle for an independent Tamil Eelam nation. […]

An unprecedented ‘occupy’ moment has developed in New Delhi, the capital of India. The authoritarian regime of Modi, for the first time, is caught on the back-foot. Some estimates are putting the number at hundreds […]

Despite the widespread repression under the blatantly right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party-Modi regime, the all-India general strike on 26 November, involving more than 250 million workers (the Joint Committee of Trade Unions- JCTU claimed the number […]

Drunk with the success of a brutal parliamentary majority and with the cunning aid of spin doctors who tweak every failure of the Modi government as a glorious success, the authoritarian regime of Modi built […]

PART 2 India is among the countries with the highest level of inequality. According to an Oxfam report, the top 10% of the Indian population holds 77% of the total national wealth. Oxfam also points […]

In India the corona crisis has cast a harsh light on the cruel reality of capitalism in the country. For millions starvation is now a real threat. The ‘great revealer’ has exposed the rottenness not […]

Before the latest quite severe covid-19 lockdown in Sri Lanka, Gotabhaya Rajapaksha’s government mustered its forces to pass the 20th Amendment to the country’s constitution. This replaces the 19th Amendment promulgated in 2015. The change […]

The Rajapaksa family has consolidated more power following the election in Sri Lanka which concluded on 5 August. Despite the coronavirus crisis, and restrictions on social mobility, around a 70% voter turnout was registered. Overall […]

The Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, imposed a nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus in the country from 25 March onwards. Prime Minister Modi proclaimed he was locking down the country in four […]

We give full support to the workers in Bangladesh fighting to stop the closure, and subsequent privatisation, of state-owned Jute Mills. We condemn the arrest of Jute Mills trade union leaders, Nurul Islam and Waliar […]

Given the Covid-19 situation, though not with the same enthusiasm, nevertheless the entire world celebrated workers May Day recently. Ironically, here in India in the same month of May, antithetical to the ideal of May Day the major states […]

A recent report that an enormous amount of taxpayers money is being used to bail out the bad debts of the super-rich has shocked workers and the poor in India, while the Modi government is […]

As is the case the world over, the coronavirus crisis has exposed all the inadequacies, incapacities, and the insoluble contradictions of India’s capitalist state. In popular terminology, India is labeled a “democracy” because the world’s […]

We are re-publishing below a joint statement produced by various trade unions, union activists and New Socialist Alternative (CWI in India) regarding the covid-19 crisis in India.  It is a scandal that private hospitals across […]

Migrant workers from north India, in an area of Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore, blocked roads and broke a new curfew, demanding that food, shelter and sanitary facilities be provided to them. The local administration made vain […]

Covid 19 is spreading extremely rapidly across the globe. Countries have taken various steps to curb it but have still not been able to stop the virus from going further. The Sri Lankan government of […]

In late 1934 and early 1935, parts of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) were plagued by an epidemic of malaria. This followed huge floods in 1934. The British colonial rulers and the ‘Ceylonese Council of Ministers’ […]

This year’s planned general strike on January 8th was massive. It broke all previous records in the numbers involved in a united class action in India. The strike was called by ten major trade union […]

In December 2019, the Modi-led BJP government imposed a new citizenship law that threatens the rights of millions of people in India. By introducing the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), the NPR (National Population Registry), and […]

In the past ten days, since the Citizens Amendment Act (CAA) was rushed through the Indian Parliament, there has been a massive eruption of anger and dismay. The agitation and mass protests across India are […]

The sharp political crisis in Maharashtra seems to have come to an end with yet another coalition being put together to get a majority in the legislative assembly on 3 November. Maharashtra is in the […]

In the Sri Lanka presidential election held on 16 November 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa (GR) was able to defeat his rival Sajith Premadasa by 1,360,011 votes. Gotabaya mustered 6,924,255 votes and Sajith obtained only 5,594,239 votes. […]

The extremely polarised presidential election in Sri Lanka has resulted in victory for Gotabaya c. As Defence Minister under the dictatorial president, his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Gotabaya ordered the bloody genocide at the end of […]

The Sri Lankan presidential election, scheduled for 16 November, is taking place at a time when the country is going through a major political and economic crisis. The government is proving it has no solutions […]

The Indian economy is heading for a recession. GDP growth has decelerated for the last five quarters and is now below 5%, a six-year low. Even government policy think-tanks say this slowdown is unprecedented in […]

A public meeting organised in Jaffna last Sunday, 25 August, by the United Socialist Party (USP) was a great success with more than 70 people attending. It was to launch the party’s new book in […]

The ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) regime in India has once again displayed its contempt and aversion to basic values of democracy. During the past week this regime had been increasing its armed forces to […]

The unprecedented second-time victory of Modi, with an increased vote share, has shocked and worried many workers and young people. There is complete disarray among the left in general and Communist parties in particular. Nevertheless […]

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and his party have scored a second general election victory. It has stunned pundits and political analysts across the board. Given the tumultuous period of the last five years under Modi’s […]

Thirty years of war in Sri Lanka came to a brutal end on 18 May 2009. In its final act of barbarity, Sri Lankan government forces surrounded over 300,000 people fleeing the war, forced them […]

When many are trying to get back to a normal life following the horrific Easter Sunday mass killings, a new wave of communal attacks has started against the Muslim population. The Sinhala Buddhist chauvinist groups […]

After the bombings – claimed by reactionary Islamic forces – Muslim workers and poor people right across Sri Lanka have felt under attack from all sides. Government and religious bigots have whipped up a scare […]

The huge exercise of India’s 2019 General Election is under way across the country’s 29 states and seven Union territories.

The United Socialist Party in Sri Lanka, the Tamil Solidarity campaign and the Socialist Party in England and Wales strongly condemn the atrocious attacks that took place in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday (21-04-2019). Well-coordinated […]

International Women’s Day 2019 was celebrated by women workers from the “Sindh Workers Alliance” and “Socialist Movement Sindh” (CWI in Pakistan) at the Digri town of Mirpurkhas, in the Sindh, on 8th March 2019. The […]

Undoubtedly India’s recent 48 hour General Strike in January 2019, when nearly 220 million workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, street vendors etc. struck work will go down in history as a record-breaking one. Interestingly the previous […]

India’s Working Class people have a tremendous history of showing their built-up anger and collective bargaining strength time and again through General Strikes. Since the arrival of the disastrous policies of neo-liberalism in 1991, the […]

Since 26 October Sri Lanka has been plunged into deep political crisis. It’s a dangerous state of affairs, especially if the parliamentary conflict spills into the streets and communities. It could also lead to a […]

United Socialist Party (CWI in Sri Lanka) statement on deepening crisis in the country.

Pakistan is left with only $8 billion in its reserves, which is enough to cover payments of imports for just 40 days. This situation has caused the highest increase in the dollar rate in the […]

Sri Lanka is experiencing a dramatic constitutional crisis – an unprecedented parliamentary coup. It has seen the president – Maithripala Sirisena – break his coalition with Ranil Wickramasinghe, suspend parliament and appoint the former dictator/president […]

“Our Corpses were the Fertilisers for your Tea Plantations…The Hot Teas you sip in your Mornings were Strewn with our Blood” (lines from the Tamil Nadu poet, Aadhavan Deetchinya) The town of Nuwara Eliya, in […]

“The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them.” Although Karl Marx’s words about the capitalist democracy were written more than […]

With the rise of the Barathia Janatha Party (BJP) to power in the 2014 general election, caste atrocities on Dalits and Tribals across India have risen dramatically. The BJP, the political wing of the Rashtriya […]

In the Karnataka Legislative Assembly election of 12 May, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got 8 seats short of the half way mark but won the “prize”. Its party leader, B.S.Yeddyurappa, who has previously […]

For the first time since independence from British rule, the Sri Lankan government had ruled that there would be no national holiday on 1st May because it was too close to a Buddhist religious festival. […]

The Sri Lankan government declared an emergency on 6 March and closed down access to social media following the mob attack on Muslim business and houses in Kandy. The government is claiming that they have […]

Dramatic political upheavals are the order of the day in the era of capitalist crisis and that is what has taken place in Sri Lanka – but with special island characteristics. Former prime minister Mahinda […]

Socialist Movement Sind (SMS) has come under attack recently by organised gangs. SMS member, Shabana Marri, was physically and sexually assaulted on her way to the office. The local police and authorities initially refusing to […]

We publish below a new introduction by Peter Taaffe to his book ‘Marxism in Today’s World’ which will be published in Bengali, this year. This book gives explanations of some of the basic ideas of […]

The political situation in Pakistan has been tense since the Supreme Court disqualified Nawaz Sharif as Prime Minister. In response to his disqualification, Nawaz Sharif organized a march from Islamabad/ Rawalpindi to Lahore which started […]

The Bank workers of India are going on a one day strike at an all India level on 22 August. This collective action comes at a crucial juncture of India’s political, economic and social life. […]

A commission on ‘caste and class’ at this year’s CWI Summer School in Barcelona looked at an important issue which, in South Asia, can make or break an organisation that aims to win mass support […]

The Supreme Court disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from holding public office in a decision on the Panama Papers case on July 28. Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan announced that the larger bench had unanimously deemed […]

  The Sri Lankan economy is declining further and the joint Sirisena-Wikeramasinghe administration is showing that they are incapable of developing the economy as promised during the 2015 election period. All their hopes of getting […]

The South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITAM) has recently become a key focal point of protest in Sri Lanka. Students and workers who have been peacefully demonstrating their opposition to government policies are […]

Most workers underemployed, 40% in poverty – situation demands new workers’ party. The year 2016 ended with the traditional demagogy of the ruling class parties of Pakistan. All the ruling class parties are accusing each other […]

Corruption, nepotism, and other crimes of ruling party exposed. The current crisis within the ruling party in Tamil Nadu, India,  AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) is adding to the enormous mass discontent that exists […]

Imperialism’s 15-year adventure a bloody catastrophe for millions.  Fifteen years ago George W Bush and his fellow neo-cons were triumphant when their war on Afghanistan led to the collapse of the Taliban regime after just […]

Support the right to assemble and protest – release those arrested immediately!

Follows mass strike of garment workers in December

Socialists and villagers wage tireless battle

Review of play called 'The Island Nation'

Battle zone of proxy conflicts. United working class opposition needed

The struggle of Baluchi people

Modi unleashes war on poor

IMF led austerity budget has unveiled in Sri Lanka

New period opens

Lively meeting prepares membership for next period

Solidarity protests needed

Fight must go on for minimum wage and against labour law ‘reform’

Solidarity protests needed!

The digits change but reality remains a nightmare for most

Lady Health Workers organisation protests at non-payment of wages

Eye-witness account of successful protest

Socialists demand immediate release

The world’s largest mangrove forest lies on the deltas of three rivers: the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. It is here, in an area of outstanding natural beauty called the […]

Analysis of the present situation in India from an internationalist perspective

Is ‘Modimania’ on the wane?

Four workers killed, eight injured as security forces open fire on protesting workers

Union leader, Muhammad Hussain Bhatti, released on bail

Rally organised by Socialist Movement Sindh in Mir Pur Khas

Fighting against the privatisation of public sector hospitals

Revolutionary movement of the working class needs to finally defeat religious extremism and intolerance

International action needed

Stop state repression and harassment of union leaders and members

Modi government faces growing opposition

Working class struggle top priority for socialists

Neo-liberal policies of UNP-led government will not satisfy demands of workers and poor.

Response to anti-worker measures in Pakistani budget

Demand asylum for young torture victim, Janahan!

Video of May Day Rally and concert in Lahore

Nepal, one of the poorest countries in the south Asian region has been further devastated by the recent earthquake.

Jawad Ahmed, Singer and central committee member of International Youth and Workers Movement (IYWM) from Pakistan spoke to CWI about the work of IYWM.

Result reflects growing mass discontent

Article first published in the Colombo Telegraph

President Sirisena aims for clean government but will face difficulties

Period of uncertainty opens

Socialists organise protests against Taliban barbarism

Socialist candidate challenges all other forces

United Socialist Party, Sri Lanka’s section of Committee for a Workers’ International has paid tribute to veteran trade unionist, Bala Tampoe, who passed away recently at the age of 92. Philip Balendra Tampoe became General […]

Working class will bring the real revolution and change

CWI calls for protests and financial assistance

CWI condemns attack and requests solidarity

USP mounts motor cycle ‘march’ to fight for united struggle against chauvinists

At least four people were killed and 100 injured in anti-Muslim attacks

Half a million people flee the area

Workers need political movement to counter extremist ideology and capitalism

Celebrations by big business a warning to working class

Photos of United Socialist Party march and meeting

CWI supporters celebrate international workers’ day

Protest letter from Paul Murphy and other MEP’s

Repression can provoke opposition

New party expresses, but cannot solve, major discontents

Second constituent assembly election – a shift to the right

Progressive Workers’ Federation and SMP (CWI) organise inspirational rally against Talibanisation

Extreme weather events causing massive devastation

No end to violence in sight

Government/Taliban talks begin – But where will they go?

Low wages, non-payment of salaries and increased terror attacks

Forceful collective voice needed to end poverty and abuse

Workers continue their struggle against brutal management

Demand a constituent assembly

Both sides mired in corruption and violence

Workers from Swedish company Alfa Laval India Pvt Ltd. situated at Kasarwadi, Pune are on strike for the last three months

With the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) taking place from 10 to 17 November all eyes are on Sri Lanka

Statement on the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting taking place (CHOGM) in Colombo

Cameron to Sri Lanka – not in our name

Building a left alternative; link fight against regime with struggle of oppressed Tamils and system change

Socialist and union organizer targetted by feudal lords and corrupt state officials

United Socialist Party makes election challenge

Anti-Tamil pogroms organised by ruling class

“We will defend our rights and continue fighting”.

Fed up with continued oppression, workers under the banner of ’Pradeep Laminators Workers’ Union’ have started a propaganda campaign against the bosses.

The one day protest general strike held on 21 May was a significant step forward for the working class in Sri Lanka.

Big landlords, capitalists and influential families are calling the shots

The United Socialist Party’s May Day demonstration passed successfully through a number of populous areas of Colombo, ending at Grand Pass Junction.

Sosyalist hareket üyesi 3 Pakistanlı Quetta’da mezhepçi çatışmada katledildi.

It is said that where labour is cheap, life is cheap. This is never more so than in the recent horrific deaths of over 400 garment workers crushed in a collapsed building in Dhaka, the […]

Photos of May Day demonstration in Sindh

"Still Counting the Dead: Survivors of Sri Lanka’s hidden war" by Frances Harrison

No political voice for working class

Three Socialist Movement Pakistan killed in sectarian violence in Quetta

Development of Bodu Bala Sena must be stopped

Verdicts of the Bangladesh war crimes tribunal this February, which were widely seen as overdue and too lenient, sparked off a wave of protests in Dhaka’s Shahbagh Square and throughout the country.

Workers’ movement must take up their cause

Impact of the 48 -hour general strike

Government policies drive workers and poor to fight back

Statement from Socialist Movement Pakistan on recent events in the country

’Thas’ granted asylum in Belgium

"This system’s mind-set perpetuates hatred against women and disregards the fundamental right of women for freedom"

About 50 people gathered in Bangalore to observe International Day of action for Legal Abortion in Ireland

Factory fire kills 300 workers, hundreds injured

The large Nato force has been unable to defeat a vastly poorer force of Taliban-led fighters estimated at less than 25,000.

Many millions involved in country-wide bandh

Stop the police terror

Sign on-line appeal

Memorial meeting remembers the great revolutionary who died in August 1940

Who killed Nimalaruban?

100 workers arrested, over 1,200 police deployed in area

War criminal on the run!

Tamils are outraged that Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been invited to the British queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations.

Third anniversary of slaughter of Tamil people by Sri Lankan army marked by protests all around the world

Socialist organisations march to joint rally

Committee for a Workers’ International representatives speak

Protest in response and release of the two shows potential for united struggle

Appeal for international protests

Fight every move by the ruling classes to take away the little gains made by the working people

Solidarity Protest in Bangalore against Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant

A blow to the regime but not enough

Amnesty international and the British Channel 4 television channel reveal new material documenting the unpunished slaughter and ongoing oppression of Tamil people

Over 100 million workers take part

Full inquiries moved by Paul Murphy MEP and agreed

Oppose nuclear power plants

Tamil Solidarity demands that Cameron reveals all his personal dealings with lobbying firm and show the concrete details of the measures he has taken in relation to war crimes in Sri Lanka

Video footage of demonstration organised by Socialist Movement Pakistan (CWI Pakistan)

Solidarity needed! Demand Odisha government immediately releases Abhay Sahoo

For the past few weeks heavy rains in many parts of Tamil Nadu have once again brought hardship to the people causing damages to roads, bridges and inundating many low lying areas claiming 44 lives […]

But battles still to wage

“Difficult times – yet we are defiant and determined!”

British Defence Secretary Fox in trouble

Hundreds of thousands displaced as flood worsens

Crisis worsens, hundreds killed, millions affected

Auto workers engaged in 21-day strike

International protest demands end of death penalty against Tamil activists

Defeat and climbdown by government

The life of half a million garment workers in Bangalore is nothing but a hellish existence.

The 13 day strike of over 2000 workers in the Maruti Suzuki India’s (MSI) Manesar plant in Gurgoan (Haryana), close to the national capital Delhi, in the first weeks of June is an important sign […]

The continuing struggle against caste oppression

State forces moved in to crush anti-POSCO struggle

’Communists’ defeated in Kerala as well as West Bengal

Rajapakse regime shoots peaceful workers

Tamil representatives, solidarity and human rights campaigns and individual activists converged on the European parliament on Wednesday (1 June)

Tamil Solidarity exposes the arrogant way Rajapaksa answers the UN report

The CWI supports the struggle of Tamil Solidarity and others for the rights of all workers and oppressed people in Sri Lanka.

The 10 day pilot strike that has rocked the troubled national carrier – Air India has ended with a partial victory of sorts for the pilots

The US government has announced a successful military assault on a large mansion in Abbottabad, near Islamabad, which has resulted in the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

What is the way forward now?

The genocidal war in the north and east of Sri Lanka, which ended in May 2009, has created more than 68,000 widows. On the other hand, there are another 30,000 widows in the southern part […]

Extraordinary stand against the brutal state and draconian powers

Textile Industry in India is the second largest employment generator after agriculture.

Strikes and protests by Bangladesh garment workers continue in the face of harsh repression by the state. Following the deaths of three strikers, shot down when police opened fire on demonstrators in Chittagong on 14 […]

Games Ridden with Corruption

Tamil people’s struggle for freedon and justice – beyond our borders

From the age of 10 years to their ripe old age, we find women not only slaving in their homes but also working in the houses of the wealthy & the middle classes as the […]

Public protest Against Assault on Brother Philip Noronha

The garment industry in Bangalore with about 1200 registered units employing over a half a million workforce and one of the biggest sources of exports in the country, but hardly is there any mention in […]

Struggle against brutal army oppression intensifies

Feudal lords and politicians’ criminal decisions led to disaster

9 years after invasion and occupation

Sri Lanka has once again lived up to its reputation as one of the most dangerous places for a journalist to work

United Socialist Party and the fight for democratic rights

Beggars death in Bangalore

Kashmir is aflame again amid a renewed outpouring of popular, non-violent, revolt against India’s military occupation.

Indian ‘Fact-finding mission’ will not offer solution

As we reported last week, the general strike of 7 September in India was called by a wide range of trade unions. It was in protests at the rocketing prices of food and fuel while […]

Workers showed courageous determination

‘Death of Democracy’ in Sri Lanka

Strike and protest action in around 4,000 factories

Leaflet of New Socialist Alternative (CWI India)

Thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh took to the streets of Dhaka to dismiss the recently announced increase in the minimum wage as completely inadequate.

Obama’s dismissal of general reveals military crisis

What way forward after the great mass movements of April 2006 and 2009

Joe also condemns the hypocrisy of right-wing politicans claiming to support human rights in Pakistan while supporting the brutal wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A CONSTANT stream of Tamils flowed into Parliament Square, London, on Tuesday 18 May.

State colludes with Multinational

Consolidation of chauvinism – mass opposition needed

New foreword to Chinese edition to be published in June 2010 | China, Maoism, Nepal and India.

Perspective for united struggle

Introduction to new Urdu edition of ‘Permanent Revolution’ by Leon Trotsky

Fight to stop dictatorship cannot be postponed

Grim period ahead for workers and poor.

A courageous record fighting repression and ethnic division

United Socialist Party (CWI in Sri Lanka) campaign continues

Tamil solidarity case forcefully put by Tamil Solidarity coordinator

Socialist runs with clear alternative to “choice of death by machete or death by axe”

Candidate for United Socialist Party (CWI in Sri Lanka) writes to British press

What does the election mean for the Tamil-speaking masses?

New website covers election campaign

We are sickeningly familiar with the arrogant, cruel statements of Sri Lankan prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his cronies. They dismiss any criticism of their brutal war against Tamil-speaking people and the horrific aftermath of […]

Delegates defied “very difficult circumstances”

Solidarity needed with stranded refugees in Indonesia

United struggle needed for liberation

Book Review of ‘Listening to Grasshoppers’ by Arundhati Roy

CWI support for mass protest in Orissa, 10 September

Will it make any difference?

Tamil people “Not prepared to surrender”

Rising casualties in an un-winnable war

International campaign needed to end attacks on media and opposition

National question remains unresolved

Beginnings of fight-back against dictatorial Rajapakse regime

Days of victory celebrations humiliating all Tamils

First ever victor for health department service workers

Rajapakse government cannot fulfil needs of workers and poor

Western-backed elite enrich themselves as vast majority live in poverty

Socialists continue fight against Rajapakse dictatorship

Joe Higgins attacks Sri Lankan government in Irish Daily Mail

Workers and young people have no party fighting capitalism and landlordism

Mass protests continue

Indian government told to stop support of murderous Rajapakse regime

International protest grows

Author Arundathi Roy’s statement gets national and international coverage

Tamil people must have right to decide own future

Campaign launched to demand end to war and to fight for democratic rights

But further struggle will be needed

Government of Pakistani occupation threatens to crush strike

Appeal for protests as pro-government thugs are used yet again to silence opposition

Spoil Sri Lankan government’s ‘Freedom Day’ celebrations!

Socialists demand action to end the nightmare

Tamil Tigers in danger of defeat; Tamil people’s struggle goes on

Socialists call for media freedom, peace, democracy and socialism.

Broad campaign launched to stop state violence

Protests and solidarity action needed.

Defeat the terror of communalism and capitalism. Statement issued on 29 November 2008.

Opposition trounced but United Socialist Party still biggest left force

United Socialist Party challenges government over war and prices

For a wage increase of just 5,000 rupees a month (£25)

President Rajapakse greeted with angry protests in London

The Provincial Council election in the East will enter history as one of the most rigged elections in Sri Lanka.

Campaigning for a new mass workers’ party

The only political party to have a demonstration and rally in Colombo

Food prices and workers’ rights are key issues

Rich tributes paid to the Chicago Martyrs

Booming growth or looming crisis?

Socialists fight in Eastern elections

Need for socialist programme to break with landlordism and capitalism

Urgent solidarity needed!

Export of ‘dirty industries’ by giants like Unilever must be stopped

Class struggle more urgent than ever

Full-scale war to follow assassination and bombings

Nearly 300 trade unionists and workers participated in the first TURC-K national convention held in Kotli (Pakistani Occupied Kashmir, POK) on December 8.

Call for united action now

Textile workers are on the move again.

Industry enriches bosses but endangers life and the environment

This is an opportune time for the publication of the Pakistani edition of this book.

Wesley Suthantharabal Muthiah 1930 – 2007

Government isolated; workers need solutions

Public sector workers threaten to strike from 7 May if agreement with government not honoured

Campaign against war and oppression gets a boost

This is an introduction to an Indian edition of the book Marxism in Today’s World

Ruling elite divided with no immediate alternative

One day in February this year, Ammu, a 25-year-old textile worker, was found hanged in the most suspicious circumstances.

Killings are ultimately the responsibility of the ‘Communist’ led state government.

Siritunga Jayasuriya, secretary of the United Socialist Party (CWI Sri Lanka) and some associates in the ’United People’s Movement’ escaped with their lives when over 300 armed thugs, led by a deputy minister, raided the […]

Mass class struggle in impoverished, repressive society

Bodies of murder victims likely those of kidnapped Tamils

Majority of children malnourished and majority of population illiterate

Medecin Sans Frontier threaten striking health workers with dismissal

The situation in Sri Lanka has become even more difficult for the left forces, especially the activists fighting against the war and against the repression of the rights of the Tamil-speaking minority.

Solidarity and protest letters urgently needed

Protest letters and solidarity messages still needed

The campaign against repression and war in Sri Lanka has gathered even more momentum.

London lobbies on Wednesday 31 January: Stop the killings! Put Mervyn Silva on trial! Hands off Siritunga Jaysuriya!

Hundreds of journalists and media workers from five Sri Lankan media organisations staged a joint protest at Colombo Fort railway station last Tuesday, 23 January, against the threats and intimidation against journalists and their frequent […]

Protest letters continue to bombard the office of the president of Sri Lanka following the brutal gangster attack on an anti-war meeting in Colombo.

Protests outside embassies and consulates.

Letters of strong protest from two of Ireland’s Socialist Party councillors:

The Trade Union Rights Campaign – Kashmir have been in the forefront of helping to organise solidarity for thousands of earthquake affected public sector workers in Pakistani Occupied Kashmir (POK).

Please draw up protests on the basis of the resolution for MPs (see below)

Demands for decent compensation and living conditions

Government fails to solve the problems of the quake affected public sector workers.

Siritunga Jaysuriya of the United Socialist Party (CWI Sri Lanka) and a handful of associates in the ‘United People’s Movement’ escaped with their lives when over 300 armed thugs, led by a deputy minister, raided […]