Indian subcontinent
UN officials say torture is “common practice” in Sri Lanka
By Minusha Fernando, 18 May 2016
The revelations constitute a damning exposure of the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe government’s claims to defend democratic rights.
Sri Lankan SEP holds successful May Day meeting in Colombo
By our reporters, 12 May 2016
More than 200 people joined the meeting, which was followed by the International May Day online rally.
Sri Lankan police arrest scores of Tamil youth
By Subash Somachandran and S. Jayanth, 11 May 2016
The repression of Tamil youth is another attempt to divide Sri Lankan workers along communal lines and follows Colombo’s agreement to impose more IMF cuts.
US-backed Chinese separatists, dissidents meet in Dharamsala, India
By Kumaran Ira, 6 May 2016
American sponsored dissident groups held a conference last weekend in the midst of escalating war threats against China.
Sri Lankan government begins implementing IMF austerity demands
By Saman Gunadasa, 5 May 2016
The IMF bailout agreement is based on immediate steps to slash the budget deficit at the expense of social spending and working class conditions.
May Day 2016: The political tasks facing the workers and toilers of the Indian sub-continent
By Wije Dias, 3 May 2016
Wije Dias, general secretary of the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), delivered the following speech to the International Online May Day Rally.
Sri Lankan prime minister seeks financial help in China
By Vilani Peiris, 29 April 2016
Wickremesinghe’s visit to China underscores the magnitude of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis and the geo-political tensions engulfing the region.
Indian air chief calls growing Chinese influence a strategic threat
By Kanda Gabriel, 22 April 2016
India’s alignment with Washington’s anti-China “pivot” is inflaming explosive military and national-ethnic tensions across South Asia.
Indian elite welcomes deal to allow US military to use ports and bases
By Deepal Jayasekera, 20 April 2016
While the Congress and Stalinists are voicing opposition to India becoming a “full-fledged” US ally, they have been instrumental in expanding US-Indian military ties.
Lockheed Martin offers to site F-16 fighter jet production in India
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 11 April 2016
This offer, which could only be made at Washington’s urging, is part of the US drive to make India a “frontline state” in its military-strategic offensive against China.
Oppose Indian government’s witch-hunt of JNU students
the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (Sri Lanka), 7 April 2016
The BJP government’s witch-hunt of the JNU students is part of a turn to authoritarian methods of rule.
Sri Lankan government imprisons Frontline Socialist Party leader
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 5 April 2016
Gunaratnam’s jailing is another warning of the anti-democratic methods that the government will use against political opponents and more broadly against working people.
Sri Lankan government presents phony “Right to Information” bill
By Rohantha De Silva, 4 April 2016
The legislation provides limited access to state information, while entrenching broad areas that will remain off-limits, including national security, diplomacy and economic activities.
Government-company negligence responsible for Indian flyover disaster
By Arun Kumar and Palash Roy, 2 April 2016
India’s political elite has turned a blind-eye to dangerous cost-cutting methods rampant throughout the construction industry.
Pakistan’s military expands its power in wake of Lahore terror attack
By Sampath Perera, 1 April 2016
Pakistan’s military has seized on last Sunday’s terrorist atrocity to implement plans for an “antiterrorism” offensive and to strengthen its authority over the civilian government.
Terrorist attack hits crowded children’s park in Pakistan
By Sampath Perera, 28 March 2016
Regardless of who carried out the atrocity on Sunday, it will be seized on by Washington and Islamabad for reactionary ends.
Indian analyst urges US to use secret diplomacy in harnessing Delhi to anti-China “pivot”
By K. Ratnayake, 25 March 2016
A prominent military-strategic analyst has criticised the very public manner in which the US is pressing for India to act as a “frontline state” in its war drive against China.
India: Tata workers end strike after being isolated by the unions
By Arun Kumar, 23 March 2016
The trade unions, mainly those led by Stalinists, played a key role in pushing Tata auto workers to end the strike.
Sri Lankan parliament to draft new constitution to shore up capitalist rule
By Rohantha De Silva, 21 March 2016
Under the guise of “democracy,” the government is seeking to strengthen its hand to impose austerity and deepen its integration into the US “pivot to Asia” against China.
Indian Stalinists ally with US-backed parties in Tamil Nadu
By Athiyan Silva, 16 March 2016
The Stalinists aim to block rising social anger and align themselves with US imperialist strategy in the Indo-Pacific by promoting parties closely tied to Washington.
Sri Lankan government refuses to release Tamil political prisoners
By Subash Somachandran and S. Jayanth, 15 March 2016
The ongoing detention of hundreds of Tamil political prisoners is part of a broader government attack on democratic rights.
Sri Lankan SEP to hold Jaffna public meeting on imperialist war and Tamil nationalism
14 March 2016
The meeting will expose the pro-imperialist stance of the Tamil nationalist parties and elaborate a socialist perspective to halt the growing danger of world war.
Sri Lankan government announces tax hikes before IMF loan talks
By Saman Gunadasa, 12 March 2016
The IMF-required austerity measures implemented by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will have a heavy impact on the living standards of workers and the poor.
Sri Lankan government to convert Western province into investment hub
By Minusha Fernando, 11 March 2016
The government’s “megapolis” project will see thousands of workers and low-income residents ejected from their homes.
Sri Lankan government prepares to sign economic pact with India
By W. A. Sunil, 4 March 2016
To divert rising social discontent, nationalist groups have stepped up a virulent anti-Indian campaign that serves to divide workers in the two countries.
India: Unions call off Tamil Nadu government workers strike
By Arun Kumar and Moses Rajkumar, 27 February 2016
Workers’ main demands—abolition of the National Pension Scheme, a salary increase, permanent employment and the filling of all vacancies—have been ignored.
India: Tata Nano auto workers strike over suspensions
By Arun Kumar and Deepal Jayasekera, 25 February 2016
The Nano workers’ strike is a sign of the growing social unrest created by the deteriorating living and working conditions of workers throughout India.
India: Mounting death toll as army deployed to end caste-based job agitation
By Sarath Kumara and Keith Jones, 23 February 2016
For decades the Indian bourgeoisie and its political hirelings have manipulated and incited caste and communal divisions, the better to divide the working class.
A reply to Tamil nationalist slanders against the World Socialist Web Site
An Open Letter to TamilNet
By K. Nesan and V. Gnana, 17 February 2016
TamilNet’s claim that the WSWS is working with imperialism to facilitate genocide by the Sri Lankan state is a grotesque fabrication.
Is the Indian Stalinist CPM heading for a split?
By Arun Kumar and Deepal Jayasekera, 16 February 2016
India’s principal Stalinist party is bitterly divided over whether to ally with the Indian bourgeoisie’s traditional party of government, the Congress, to contest elections in West Bengal.
Unions preparing to shut down Pakistan airline workers strike
By Sampath Perera, 9 February 2016
As the militant strike of 14,000 Pakistan International Airlines workers enters its second week, the unions are maneuvering to shut it down.
Bangladesh tea estate workers oppose government’s land seizures
By Wimal Perera, 9 February 2016
The government wants the land in order to expand the number of cheap labour Economic Zones.
India steps up pressure on Nepal
By W. A. Sunil, 5 February 2016
The conflicting signals over whether Nepal’s prime minister will first visit India or China reveals a political crisis exacerbated by India’s US-backed intervention.
Maldives government releases former president
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 2 February 2016
The strategically-located island archipelago has increasingly become a focal point of Washington’s “pivot” to the Indo-Pacific region to confront China.
Indian Stalinists form pro-imperialist Third Front in Tamil Nadu
By Athiyan Silva and V. Gnana, 22 January 2016
The Stalinists chose V. Gopalasamy, a pro-US politician and admirer of Barack Obama, as the leader coordinating the activities of the Front’s different parties.
Bangladesh: 41 belatedly charged over Rana Plaza factory collapse
By Sarath Kumara, 18 January 2016
The trial is essentially a face-saving attempt by the Awami League-led government, which has a long record of disregard for the appalling conditions facing apparel workers.
India-Pakistan talks may be derailed even before they begin
By K. Ratnayake, 13 January 2016
Whoever was responsible for the January 2 assault by armed gunmen on India’s Pathankot Air Force Base, its purpose was to scuttle the US-backed “dialogue” between the two nuclear-armed rivals.
One year of Sri Lankan President Sirisena’s rule: Propaganda and reality
By Pani Wijesiriwardena, 11 January 2016
The government is both intensifying the offensive against the working class and tying the country to the war plans of the United States.
Sri Lankan government moves to criminalise “hate speech”
By Saman Gunadasa, 6 January 2016
The planned new laws are an attack on the democratic rights of the working class, directed in particular against any person or party fighting for a revolutionary socialist perspective.
Indian prime minister visits Russia to consolidate relations
By Deepal Jayasekera, 5 January 2016
While supporting the US “pivot to Asia” against India’s regional rival China, the Modi government is maintaining New Delhi’s longstanding ties with Russia.
India’s Modi makes surprise visit to Pakistan
By Sampath Perera, 29 December 2015
Modi’s Pakistan trip was a pragmatic maneuver aimed at placating Washington and shoring up the increasingly embattled Indian government domestically.
Tamil People's Forum sets a new nationalist trap for Sri Lankan workers
By V. Gnana, 29 December 2015
The formation of the TPF is a shabby political maneuver to give a facelift to Tamil nationalist groups discredited by their support for the Sri Lankan government.
Sri Lankan farmers protest against budget cuts
By W.A. Sunil, 24 December 2015
Farmers marched to the prime minister’s office, denouncing cuts to fertiliser subsidies and rice prices.
Japanese premier forges ties with India to counter China
By Deepal Jayasekera, 19 December 2015
While currently proceeding under the aegis of the US “pivot,” Abe’s push for a closer partnership with India is driven by Japanese imperialism’s own substantial military-strategic and economic ambitions.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
19 December 2015
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Sri Lankan trade unions call off one-day stoppage
By Pani Wijesiriwardena, 17 December 2015
From the outset, the unions sought to scuttle the strike, even as opposition mounted among workers to the government’s budget cuts.
India: Government negligence responsible for flood disaster
By Sasi Kumar and Moses Rajkumar, 15 December 2015
Tens of thousands of people in the capital Chennai and across the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu are yet to be rescued and properly assisted.
Tamil party complicit in detention of Sri Lankan political prisoners
By K. Nesan, 9 December 2015
The Tamil National Alliance functioned throughout the prisoners’ hunger strike as a servant of the government, deceiving the prisoners and their families.
Mounting tensions between India and Nepal over blockade
By Vijith Samarasinghe, 30 November 2015
The detention of Indian border guards and protests in Kathmandu are the latest incidents in the unresolved standoff between the two countries.
India: Modi announces new wave of pro-investor reforms
By Kranti Kumara, 27 November 2015
In an attempt to kick-start India’s languishing economy, the BJP government has raised or outright eliminated foreign investment caps.
Nepal turns to China for fuel to counter Indian blockade
By Vijith Samarasinghe, 2 November 2015
The conflict engulfing the small Himalayan state is another illustration of the sharp geo-political tensions building up across Asia.
Sri Lankan plantation companies to tear up workers’ rights
By W.A. Sunil, 31 October 2015
The proposed “revenue sharing” wage formula is a major attack on the already low incomes, jobs and working conditions of plantation workers.
Sri Lankan government boosts spending on security forces
By Saman Gunadasa, 30 October 2015
President Sirisena’s government is preparing an austerity budget that will make deep inroads into working-class living standards.
Mounting humanitarian crisis in wake of Pakistan-Afghanistan quake
By Oscar Grenfell, 29 October 2015
The lack of government assistance and aid in both countries is creating mounting discontent amid deteriorating conditions.
NSSP leader backs US cover-up of Sri Lankan war crimes
By K. Ratnayake, 29 October 2015
At every point, the NSSP has followed in the footsteps of US imperialism, justifying Washington’s actions and giving credence to its bogus “human rights” posturing.
Hundreds dead in Afghanistan and Pakistan after 7.5 magnitude earthquake
By Oscar Grenfell, 27 October 2015
The devastating consequences of the natural disaster will be compounded by 15 years of US-led neo-colonial occupation.
Indian trade unions shut down Kerala plantation workers’ strike
By Arun Kumar, 27 October 2015
There is growing anger among plantation workers across the southern Indian state of Kerala over the unions’ wage betrayal.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
17 October 2015
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Tamil political prisoners in Sri Lanka launch hunger strike
By S. Jayanth, 17 October 2015
Hundreds of detainees, some of whom have never been charged, have vowed to fast until death to demand their release.
Sri Lankan and Japanese prime ministers declare “comprehensive partnership”
By K. Ratnayake, 15 October 2015
The Colombo government is enmeshing Sri Lanka in the geo-political interests of the US and its allies, including Japan, directed against China.
“Artists have the capacity to expose the reality of war”
Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage speaks with the World Socialist Web Site
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 13 October 2015
Vithanage discusses With You, Without You and the political difficulties facing contemporary Sri Lankan filmmakers.
New constitution triggers political turmoil in Nepal
By W.A. Sunil, 9 October 2015
Pressure from India is compounding conflicts in Nepal, wedged between India and China.
India joins trilateral “dialogue” with US and Japan
By Deepal Jayasekera, 7 October 2015
As part of its anti-China “pivot”, Washington has long been pressing India to join US-led trilateral and quadrilateral initiatives with Japan and Australia.
Sri Lankan president moves to implement death penalty
By Sanjaya Jayasekera, 7 October 2015
The agitation for the return of capital punishment is seeking to divert public concern from the real social problems and further strengthen police powers.
Sri Lankan president boasts at UN of “new era of democracy”
By K. Ratnayake, 5 October 2015
Sirisena’s democratic posturing is designed to enhance his government’s international standing and strengthen links with the US.
SEP/IYSSE meeting in Colombo: Why is the US whitewashing Sri Lankan war crimes?
5 October 2015
The meeting will discuss the implications for working people of the US-sponsored resolution at the UN Human Rights Council on Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka: Seven killed in central hills tea estate landslide
By our correspondents, 2 October 2015
Successive governments, the plantation companies and the tea estate unions have refused to take action to prevent landslide disasters.
US-Sri Lankan resolution to UN human rights body to cover up war crimes
By Saman Gunadasa, 29 September 2015
Washington’s willingness to countenance a largely domestic “human rights inquiry” is a payoff to the new pro-US government in Colombo.
Bangladeshi government confronts rising popular discontent
By Wimal Perera, 25 September 2015
The Awami League-led government’s imposition of austerity measures is provoking unrest among students, teachers and workers.
UN report on Sri Lanka details atrocities during the civil war
By Rohantha De Silva and K. Ratnayake, 22 September 2015
If the report is “milder” than it might have been, it is because the US wants no disruption to the new pro-US government in Colombo.
Sri Lankan currency falls sharply
By Saman Gunadasa, 21 September 2015
The floating of the currency to depreciate its value is the first major austerity move by the new “national unity government” in Sri Lanka.
UN releases war crimes report on Sri Lanka
By K. Ratnayake, 17 September 2015
While the inquiry confirms that war crimes occurred, the UN human rights commissioner’s remarks echo the shift in US policy.
India: Over 80 killed in Madhya Pradesh explosion
By Deepal Jayasekera, 16 September 2015
Saturday’s tragedy resulted from the widespread practice of storing explosives in residential areas to maximise profits.
Sri Lankan president warns against “toppling” the government
By W. A. Sunil, 14 September 2015
Sirisena is desperate to shore up the new “national unity” government as it prepares to implement austerity and integrate the island into US war plans.
India and Pakistan exchange war threats
By Sampath Perera, 12 September 2015
For months, India and Pakistan have been regularly exchanging artillery fire across the Line of Control that separates Indian and Pakistan-held Kashmir.
Sri Lankan defence seminar reflects pro-US foreign policy shift
By Rohantha de Silva, 11 September 2015
This year’s seminar was held in the context of escalating moves by the US to integrate countries in the Asia-Pacific region into its strategic build-up against China.
Tamil nationalist appointed opposition leader in Sri Lankan parliament
By K. Nesan, 10 September 2015
The aim was to install a political flunkey of Washington who will support any austerity measure or pro-US foreign policy.
US probes former Sri Lanka president’s alleged assets
By Saman Gunadasa and Deepal Jayasekera, 8 September 2015
Washington’s investigation seeks to further marginalise Rajapakse and his supporters and block any challenge to the present pro-US government.
India invites Japan for naval exercises with US
By Arun Kumar, 5 September 2015
The decision by Prime Minister Modi to hold trilateral naval games involving India, the US and Japan has been encouraged by Washington as part of its aggressive “pivot” against China.
Sri Lankan prime minister appoints huge cabinet
By K. Ratnayake, 5 September 2015
The new US-backed government is trying to cement its position and prepare to ram through harsh austerity measures.
Millions of Indian workers strike against Modi government’s pro-market reforms
By our correspondents, 3 September 2015
While workers are determined to defend their jobs and living conditions, the unions used the strike to let off steam and keep workers tied to the political establishment.
Sri Lankan president announces “national unity government”
By K. Ratnayake, 2 September 2015
The new coalition government is an attempt by the ruling class parties to close ranks in order to impose savage austerity measures on the working class.
US shift on Sri Lankan war crimes probe exposes Tamil nationalists
By K. Nesan, 1 September 2015
By supporting the US-backed government, the Tamil nationalists are complicit in allowing the crimes of the civil war to go unpunished.
Indian unions to hold one-day national strike
By Deepal Jayasekera, 1 September 2015
The unions have called the September 2 strike not to mobilize workers and the rural toilers against the Modi government and its neoliberal policies but to contain the growing opposition to them.
Sri Lankan political parties hail US shift on war crimes probe
By Saman Gunadasa, 31 August 2015
This stance not only exposes the pro-imperialist character of these parties but their involvement and complicity in the Sri Lankan human rights atrocities.
US announces shift on Sri Lankan war crimes investigation
By K. Ratnayake, 27 August 2015
The announcement confirms that Washington has cynically exploited “human rights” in Sri Lanka to advance its interests, particularly against China.
India reaches into the South Pacific to counter China
By John Braddock, 27 August 2015
The summit was part of Indian efforts to build defence and strategic ties in the Asia-Pacific, designed to counter Chinese influence.
Britain’s Financial Times hails Sri Lankan election result
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 26 August 2015
The Financial Times editorial is a damning indictment of the Sri Lankan pseudo-left organisations that sided with the pro-US UNP in the election.
Sri Lankan corporate elite demands “tough” economic decisions from new government
By Saman Gunadasa, 24 August 2015
The “national unity government” will impose severe austerity measures and will not hesitate to use police-state measures against any resistance by working people.
Sri Lanka: “National unity government” to implement harsh austerity measures
By W. A. Sunil, 21 August 2015
During the election, the SEP alone warned that all the capitalist parties were united in their determination to impose the burden of the economic crisis onto working people.
The significance of the SEP’s vote in Sri Lankan elections
By Deepal Jayasekera, 20 August 2015
The support for the SEP indicates a turn by an advanced section of workers and the oppressed masses towards the perspective of socialist internationalism.
Pro-US United National Party to form government in Sri Lanka
By Saman Gunadasa, 19 August 2015
While the UNP win has blocked a comeback by former President Mahinda Rajapakse, the political turmoil in Colombo will only continue and deepen.
Sri Lankan election results foreshadow political upheavals
By K. Ratnayake, 18 August 2015
Whichever party—the UNP or SLFP—finally forms the next government will accelerate the austerity agenda being demanded by the IMF.
Sri Lankan general election signals deepening political instability
By our correspondent, 17 August 2015
Today’s election is being held in the wake of a US-backed regime-change operation in January that ousted former President Rajapakse because of his ties with China.
Paris public meeting discusses world significance of Sri Lankan elections
By our reporters, 17 August 2015
International Committee of the Fourth International supporters held a well-attended meeting to discuss the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka) election campaign.
Sri Lankan election: 110 unions and NGOs back right-wing, pro-US UNP
By Saman Gunadasa, 12 August 2015
The organisations are not only campaigning for the United National Party but are also a “colour revolution” in waiting if the party loses.
Sri Lankan election: Pro-US UNP appeals to big business
By Rohantha De Silva, 11 August 2015
The promotion of the UNP, the country’s oldest bourgeois party steeped in crimes against the working class, as a champion of democracy is a complete fraud.
SEP campaign receives support in northern Sri Lanka
By our correspondent, 10 August 2015
The Socialist Equality Party held its second northern Sri Lankan election meeting at Karainagar, where SEP campaigners held lively discussions with local residents.
Flooding across South Asia affects millions of people
By Oscar Grenfell, 6 August 2015
Monsoonal downpours have created a humanitarian disaster, with the most impoverished and oppressed people among the worst affected.
Sri Lankan irrigation department residents discuss SEP policies
By our correspondent, 6 August 2015
Irrigation department and other local workers in Ratmalana, near Colombo, voice their anger over rising poverty and increasing exploitation.
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