Sri Lanka

The leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, in his Heroes’ Day speech, has warned of an end to the cease-fire and of the ‘Tigers’ renewing their demand for independence.

Protests at the murder of prominent Tamil MP, Nadarajah Raviraj, continue to pour in to embassies around the world and directly to the office of the president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse.

Thousands march in Colombo; embassies picketed around the globe

High profile assassination demands massive response

The description of Sri Lanka as ‘tear-shaped’ has never been more apt than it is today.

cwi lobbies of Sri Lanka embassies in Stockholm and London

"Life for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka has become unbearable."

Early in the morning on Thursday, 15 June, two claymore mines exploded destroying a bus packed with farmers, workers and children.

Sri Lanka has just come to the end of a period of elections.

On Tuesday, 25 April, a suicide bomber attacked the car in which the top Sri Lankan army commander was travelling.

In the council and provincial elections which took place on Thursday, 30 March, the United Socialist Party (CWI in Sri Lanka) won one seat and massively improved its vote in many other areas.

The four-year long cease-fire in Sri Lanka’s civil war is on the verge of collapse.

One year on: where is the relief?

But victory of communalist candidate poses danger for working class

Reply to article in The Observer (UK).

Pro-capitalist presidential winner will not bring peace and better living conditions

Only left party to challenge attack on right of Tamils to vote

A socialist programme for workers and the oppressesd

Photographs of USP members campaigning on ’Nomination Day’

Socialist candidate’s “red three-wheeler” makes history

Sri Lanka is experiencing one of its deepest-ever crises. Since the new millennium began, there have been four major elections in this country. Many of Sri Lanka’s workers and down-trodden people are faced with a […]

Sri Lanka is going through an unprecedented crisis, not only because of the murder of Foreign Minister Kadirgarmar last week, but also the failure of the capitalist government to meet the present challenges.

Rising communalist tide – A warning to the working class

On 12 May the Socialist Plantation Workers’ Union (SPWU) opened new offices in the town of Nuwara Eliya, high up in the Sri Lankan ‘hill country’.

On 12 May the Socialist Plantation Workers’ Union (SPWU) opened new offices in the town of Nuwara Eliya, high up in the Sri Lankan ‘hill country’.

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 article On the march

Tamil and Sinhala Trotskyists march united against poverty and communalism

The tsunami and its terrible aftermath is the overarching issue that still dominates every aspect of Sri Lankan society.

The Sri Lankan United Socialist Party (USP) – affiliated to the Committee for a Workers International (cwi) – held its most successful ever congress on 25 – 26 March in Colombo.

Scandal of government ‘relief’ fuels social, political and national crisis

"Demonstrations are escalating. From yesterday morning until today, homeless people in the East of the Island occupied the main road from Ampara all the way up to Batticaloa.

The devastation and escalating death toll in the Indian Ocean region can leave no one unmoved.

The tragic devastation wreaked by the earthquake and tidal wave in the Indian Ocean has killed tens of thousands of people. In Sri Lanka alone, the death toll has reached 13,000 and is still rising.

The victory for the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) in the parliamentary elections, followed by the provincial elections, has brought more problems instead of solving the burning crisis of the country. The UPFA – a […]

On Wednesday 7 July, a suicide bombing killed four police officers in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

On Saturday 10 July, the Provincial Council elections saw a much lower turn-out than usual.

United Socialist Party achieves record result

The president has prepared the ground for elections through several dramatic measures during the last few months. On 4 November she conducted a ’mini-coup’, taking command of three minister’s posts from the UNP government. On […]

The present government crisis in Sri Lanka arises out of the JR Jayawardene constitution, adopted in 1979, which gives dictatorial executive powers to the country’s President.

“The thirteenth day of our strike has ended with a glorious victory!” declared Saranapala Palihena, member of the Janaraja Joint Health Services Union and Executive Committee of United Socialist Party (CWI Sri Lanka).

The health workers’ strike in Sri Lanka is now (21 September) in its 6th day. The workers are agitating on the main demand of rectifying an unfair wage anomaly. It came about as a result […]

"The peace process is the most important issue in Sri Lanka today. The war shows the incapability of the capitalist class to develop society. It is extremely weak and dependent on reactionary elements to stay […]

From August 14-19, a delegation of comrades from the United Socialist Party (USP) of Sri Lanka made an historic visit to Jaffna via Vavuniya. This follows a recent ceasefire between LTTE (Tamil Tigers) forces, fighting […]

Council elections in Sri Lanka have reinforced last December’s general election results with the United National Party strengthening its position further. It was bolstered, above all, by the cease-fire deal with the separatist Liberation Tigers […]

The recapture of the strategic Elephant Pass by the Tamil Tigers inflicted a severe blow to the Sri Lankan army. President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared a state of emergency, suspending democratic rights and demanding yet […]

Even as we are sending this out there is heavy fighting around Jaffna. The ‘Tigers’ have taken a vitally important bridge and yesterday claimed to be 3 kilometres form the town itself. It looks like […]