South Asia
Sri Lankan president issues bogus promise to fulfil election pledges
By K. Ratnayake, 11 January 2019
Sirisena is attempting to cement an alliance with former President Mahinda Rajapakse against the United National Party-led government.
Mounting social anger seen in two-day strike against Indian government
By our correspondents, 10 January 2019
While the capitalist media tried to black out the strike, it was supported by broad sections of the working class.
Worker killed as Bangladesh police attack striking garment workers
By Wimal Perera, 10 January 2019
The re-elected Hasina government is mobilising heavily-armed police to suppress protests by garment workers over wages.
India’s “rise” and the savage exploitation of the working class
By Kranti Kumara, 10 January 2019
India’s rapidly expanding working class is condemned to poverty wages, Dickensian working conditions and precarious employment, and this in a country in which public services, if they exist at all, are dilapidated.
Sri Lankan plantation workers oppose company-union attempts to impose sell-out
By our reporters, 8 January 2019
There is widespread hostility to the plans for a new collective agreement that would reject workers’ demand for a 100 percent wage rise.
Indian Trotskyists in Kolkata to celebrate 80 years of the Fourth International
7 January 2019
The Kolkata meeting will review the essential political lessons of the protracted struggle of the Fourth International and their relevance to the fight for socialist internationalism today.
India’s unions to hold two-day “general strike” next week
By Deepal Jayasekera, 5 January 2019
While millions of workers will join the protest strike to oppose Modi and his class-war policies, the Stalinists and their union allies are intent on channelling social opposition behind the Congress and other rightwing parties.
Fifteen Indian coal miners trapped, likely killed, in mine disaster
By W. A. Sunil, 5 January 2019
Rescue efforts after the “rat-hole” mine flooded have been hampered by inadequate equipment and the indifference of the government authorities.
Sri Lankan JVP postures as a saviour of “democracy”
By Sakuna Jayawardana and K. Ratnayake, 4 January 2019
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna’s response to the country’s political crisis is to promote illusions in parliamentary democracy.
Sri Lankan plantation union discussing sellout deal with companies
By Pani Wijesiriwardena, 3 January 2019
The back-room negotiations between the unions and employers are part of a broader attack on the living conditions of all workers.
India: Stalinist unions suppress Tamil Nadu auto strikes, promise “industrial peace”
By Arun Kumar and Yuan Darwin, 31 December 2018
The strikes’ outcome is further proof that the Stalinist-led CITU serves as an industrial police force for big business, containing and suppressing working-class opposition.
Amid widespread violence, Bangladesh’s ruling party re-elected
By Vimal Perera, 31 December 2018
The opposition parties have condemned the election as “farcical” and demanded a “fresh election under non-partisan administration.”
One million Indian bank workers strike; tens of thousands of Korean taxi drivers protest
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
29 December 2018
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
The 50th anniversary of the founding of the SEP (Sri Lanka)
The RCL/SEP’s political struggle against the LSSP’s betrayal
By W.A. Sunil and Deepal Jayasekera, 27 December 2018
The RCL waged a consistent struggle, under difficult conditions, against the second coalition government, particularly against the LSSP, which continued to dishonestly trade on its previous Trotskyist record.
New postings in Urdu on capitalist breakdown and war, France’s Yellow Vest protests
27 December 2018
Four recent WSWS Perspectives are now available in Urdu, Pakistan’s national language.
Factional acrimony continues as Sri Lankan president appoints new cabinet
By Pani Wijesiriwardena, 22 December 2018
Sirisena’s delay in appointing the new cabinet makes clear that bitter factional infighting is continuing within Colombo’s political elite.
Sri Lanka: Abbotsleigh tea plantation workers speak out against harsh living and working conditions
By our reporters, 21 December 2018
Sri Lankan plantation workers, like their international counterparts, are being ruthlessly exploited by the giant corporations that control the industry.
The US hails Wickremesinghe’s reinstatement as Sri Lankan prime minister
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 20 December 2018
The US was concerned that the ousting of Wickremesinghe would jeopardise the close military relations developed with Colombo under his government.
Sri Lanka: Action committee of Abbotsleigh Estate workers holds inaugural meeting
By our correspondents, 18 December 2018
The meeting passed resolutions calling for independent action committees to fight for decent wages and conditions, and pledged support to “yellow vest” protesters in France, US auto workers and jailed Maruti Suzuki workers in India.
Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court refuses to hear SEP’s legal action against May Day meeting ban
By our correspondent, 18 December 2018
The government’s intention was to sabotage May Day demonstrations and rallies, a tradition established by workers before the end of British colonial rule in 1948.
Sri Lankan president reinstates sacked prime minister
By K. Ratnayake, 17 December 2018
Sirisena’s decision to reappoint Wickremesinghe will not end the crisis but is just a temporary pause in the ongoing political conflict within Sri Lanka’s ruling elite.
The international significance of the Sri Lankan plantation workers’ strike
By Deepal Jayasekera, 17 December 2018
In the midst of the strike, workers at the Abbotsleigh Estate turned towards revolutionary politics and forms of organisation, establishing an action committee independent of the unions, under the political guidance of the Socialist Equality Party.
Sri Lankan plantation workers end strike action under protest
By Saman Gunadasa, 15 December 2018
Sri Lanka plantation workers denounced the unions and returned to work on December 14, after a nine-day strike for a doubling of their daily wage.
Sri Lankan Supreme Court rules against President Sirisena’s decision to dissolve parliament
By Deepal Jayasekera, 14 December 2018
The court’s decision will further intensify the infighting within the ruling elite.
Indian state elections show mounting social anger against ruling Hindu-supremacist BJP
By Wasantha Rupasinghe and Keith Jones, 14 December 2018
The BJP lost power to the Congress Party in three states that are part of the “Hindi heartland,” its traditional power-base—Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
Sri Lankan plantation workers defy union and continue to strike
By Pani Wijesiriwardena, 13 December 2018
Expressing their determination to fight, workers held protests throughout the plantation district on Wednesday, the day after the union announced the end of the stoppage.
Sri Lankan plantation companies reject workers’ wage demand
By W.A. Sunil, 11 December 2018
Despite an indefinite strike, the employers are insisting that profits must be defended by subjecting workers to super-exploitation.
Indian workers face slave-like conditions in Sri Lanka
By R. Shreeharan and Ivan Weerasinghe, 10 December 2018
Young men recruited from a Jharkhand village to work on a high-voltage power-line in Sri Lanka have not been paid for three months.
Sri Lankan plantation strike: Abbotsleigh workers march to demand action committees and socialist policies
By our reporters, 8 December 2018
Yesterday’s march was organised by an action committee of Abbotsleigh Estate workers, following political interventions by the Socialist Equality Party.
Sri Lankan president uses executive powers to run government
By W.A. Sunil, 7 December 2018
Sirisena’s autocratic actions are another dangerous sign that dictatorial forms of rule are being prepared in Sri Lanka.
Jaffna (Sri Lanka) meeting celebrates 80th anniversary of the Fourth International
By R. Shreeharan, 6 December 2018
People from all over the Jaffna district heard Socialist Equality Party leaders explain the contemporary relevance of the Trotskyist movement’s historic struggle.
The Maldives: Pro-US President Solih sworn in
By Rohantha De Silva, 5 December 2018
Tolih’s administration will bring the Maldives into line with Washington’s military preparations for war against China and reorient the island-nation towards India.
Sri Lankan court blocks functioning of Rajapakse cabinet
By K. Ratnayake, 4 December 2018
An appeals court temporarily ordered that Rajapakse and his ministers cease exercising their powers—intensifying Sri Lanka’s political crisis.
While Modi touts India’s growth rate,
Four jobless youths commit suicide
By Kranti Kumara, 4 December 2018
There are more than 10 million annual entrants into India’s labor market. Yet a recent study found that less than a million new jobs were created in the first three years of the Modi-led BJP government.
Sri Lanka: Factional deadlock remains in lead up to Supreme Court ruling
By Pani Wijesiriwardena, 3 December 2018
President Sirisena has failed in his attempts to secure a parliamentary deal with the opposition UNP and TNA aimed at ending the country’s continuing political crisis.
Colombo court detains Sri Lankan defence chief over civil war crimes
By Rohantha De Silva, 30 November 2018
The court magistrate said the military chief had to be denied bail because he could influence witnesses or disrupt ongoing investigations into the abduction of Tamil youth.
Around 100,000 Sri Lankan plantation workers walk out again for pay rise
By our correspondents, 30 November 2018
The plantation unions are determined to prevent industrial action by estate workers that could trigger mass action by other sections of the working class.
Rajapakse-aligned MPs boycott Sri Lankan parliament
By W.A. Sunil, 28 November 2018
The ongoing crisis has shattered the carefully cultivated image of parliament as an august and democratic assembly, engaging in serious discussion on issues of public interest.
Amid Sri Lanka’s political crisis, the USP sets “left” trap for the working class
By Vilani Peiris and K. Ratnayake, 27 November 2018
The pseudo-left United Socialist Party’s call for a left alliance is aimed at promoting the illusion that one or other ruling faction can be pressured to defend the rights of working people.
Political turmoil in Sri Lanka intensifies as opposition takes control of parliament
By Pani Wijesiriwardena, 24 November 2018
The UNP-led opposition has submitted a motion to suspend funds to Rajapakse’s office of prime minister.
SEP (Sri Lanka) holds successful public meeting on political crisis
By our correspondents, 22 November 2018
The speakers stressed the necessity for the working class to adopt a socialist and internationalist program, in opposition to all factions of the ruling elite.
Sri Lankan political crisis exposes bankruptcy of Tamil nationalist parties
By K. Nesan and V. Gnana, 22 November 2018
After four years of a US-backed “Good Governance” government that collapsed last month, not a single issue facing the Tamil workers and poor has been resolved.
Sri Lanka: UNP demands Facebook protect identity of party supporters
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 21 November 2018
UNP allegations that state authorities could be collaborating with Facebook to target its supporters came amid escalating infighting within the Sri Lankan political elite.
SEP (Sri Lanka) to hold lecture on “Lessons of History and the Fight for Socialism Today”
the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), 21 November 2018
The lecture in Jaffna will focus on the political lessons of key strategic experiences of the 20th century for the working class and their contemporary relevance.
Sri Lankan parliament adjourned amid ongoing political crisis
By K. Ratnayake, 20 November 2018
While claiming to be champions of “democracy,” the rival factions of the ruling class are both committed to implementing the IMF’s austerity demands and suppressing any opposition from working people.
Sri Lankan president’s “all party conference” fails to overcome political crisis
By Rohantha De Silva, 19 November 2018
Sirisena’s meeting followed three consecutive days of bitter and violent fighting in the parliament between the Rajapakse and Wickremesinghe factions.
Sri Lanka: Second no-confidence motion passed as violent clashes erupt in parliament
By W.A. Sunil, 17 November 2018
While the UNP and Sri Lanka’s parliamentary speaker claim victory for another no confidence vote, nothing is resolved.
The political crisis in Sri Lanka: Its lessons for the international working class
By Keith Jones and K. Ratnayake, 16 November 2018
Only the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka) fights for the working class to assert its own class interests, independently of and in opposition to both rival bourgeois camps.
Sri Lankan parliament rejects Rajapakse as prime minister
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 15 November 2018
The major global powers are monitoring the developing political and constitutional crisis and firing off warning signals.
Sri Lanka crisis escalates as Supreme Court overturns Sirisena’s dissolution of parliament
By K. Ratnayake, 14 November 2018
The Supreme Court made its ruling after hearing 12 fundamental rights petitions challenging Sirisena’s dissolution of parliament on November 9.
Sri Lankan political crisis deepens: Prime minister splits from president
By W.A. Sunil, 13 November 2018
None of the factions of the ruling class will defend the basic rights of working people, but will ruthlessly impose the austerity dictates of the IMF and big business.
In another anti-democratic act, Sri Lankan president dissolves parliament
By K. Ratnayake, 10 November 2018
Sirisena’s dissolution of parliament exposes the degenerated state of parliamentary democracy and the Sri Lanka ruling elite’s moves towards dictatorial forms of rule.
Tamil nationalists support US-backed factions in Sri Lankan political crisis
By K. Nesan, 10 November 2018
The TNA is pursuing the same pro-imperialist course that led it to back the US-led regime change operation, that brought President Sirisena to power in 2015.
The kiss of death: Stalinists seek to tie Tamil Nadu auto strikes to right-wing parties
By Arun Kumar, 10 November 2018
Opposing all attempts to broaden the struggle, the Stalinists convened an “all party” meeting, where they touted the leaders of opposition parties and their affiliated unions as the strikers’ allies.
Factional conflict in Sri Lankan elite underscores dangers facing working class
By K. Ratnayake, 9 November 2018
All sections of the ruling class are preparing a major onslaught against the social and democratic rights of the working people and the poor.
Pakistan’s government bows to Islamist right, victimises anew woman in blasphemy case
By Sampath Perera, 9 November 2018
Pakistan’s PTI government has ordered the Supreme Court to review its decision vacating the blasphemy conviction and death sentence imposed on Asia Bibi.
Sri Lankan political coup: Rajapakse makes bogus promises to ease social crisis
By Saman Gunadasa, 8 November 2018
In a bid to deflect the opposition of working people, the newly installed prime minister announced token measures to assist workers, peasants and the poor.
Plantation unions move to shut down wage struggle amid Sri Lankan political crisis
By W. A. Sunil, 7 November 2018
The long-running plantation workers’ pay dispute has won powerful support from young people and other sections of the Sri Lankan working class.
Sri Lankan crisis: SLFP holds rally to defend political coup
By K. Ratnayake, 6 November 2018
Sirisena and Rajapakse appeared on the same platform, praising each other to the hilt, as major global powers press for the reconvening of parliament.
Indian Trotskyists to hold meeting on 80 years of the Fourth International
6 November 2018
The meeting in Chennai, which will also mark 50 years of Sri Lanka’s SEP, will outline the lessons of the protracted struggle for Trotskyism in South Asia and internationally.
Wigneswaran’s Tamil People’s Alliance: A trap for Sri Lankan workers
By K. Nesan and V. Gnana, 6 November 2018
Amid an international radicalization of the working class, the TPA aims to divide workers along ethnic lines and block the growth of the Socialist Equality Party.
Sri Lankan political crisis: Pseudo-left NSSP promotes UNP campaign
By K. Ratnayake, 5 November 2018
NSSP leader Karunaratne is desperately attempting to tie workers to the pro-US UNP and prevent the development of an independent movement of the working class.
Sri Lankan crisis: Washington intervenes to maintain its political influence
By Deepal Jayasekera, 3 November 2018
The Trump administration, which is preparing for war against China, does not want to lose political domination in strategically-located Sri Lanka.
The JVP’s fraudulent attempt to capitalise on Sri Lanka’s political crisis
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 2 November 2018
The JVP, a Sinhala supremacist party of the political establishment, is posturing as an opponent of both competing factions of the ruling elite.
Sri Lankan crisis: UNP rally demands reconvening of parliament
By our correspondents, 1 November 2018
The demonstration was part of a campaign to regain power after President Sirisena sacked UNP leader Wickremesinghe as prime minister.
Fight for a socialist solution to the political crisis in Sri Lanka
the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), 31 October 2018
The SEP calls on the working class to reject the cynical manoeuvres of all factions of the ruling elite and to mobilise independently to fight for its own class interests.
Infighting deepens between rival factions of Sri Lankan elite
By Deepal Jayasekera, 30 October 2018
The government’s ultimatum for Wickremesinghe to vacate the prime minister’s residence has set the stage for bloody clashes and political violence.
Sri Lankan president’s cynical justifications for his political coup
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 29 October 2018
Sirisena’s self-serving speech was to justify his anti-democratic actions as well as appeal to layers of the population opposed to the government’s attacks on living standards.
Under US pressure, Maldives president accepts election defeat
By Rohantha De Silva, 29 October 2018
The pro-US shift in Maldives will only intensify geopolitical tensions, particularly between Washington and Beijing.
Indian state government arrests at least 14 union leaders
By Kranti Kumar, 29 October 2018
The Hindu-extremist BJP government in the northern Indian state of Haryana has arrested union leaders after 200,000 workers took action in solidarity with striking public transport workers.
Sri Lankan President Sirisena sacks prime minister
By K. Ratnayake, 28 October 2018
The coup is an expression of the huge political crisis confronting the Sri Lankan ruling class amid a profound economic crisis, rising geo-political tensions and a resurgence of the class struggle.
Thousands of youth demonstrate in Sri Lanka to support plantation workers’ wage struggle
By our correspondents, 27 October 2018
The protest in Colombo was the first time that Sri Lankan workers have conducted such a campaign via social media.
Pakistan caught up in intensifying US-China rivalry
By Pradeep Ramayake, 27 October 2018
Amid a worsening balance-of-payments crisis, Pakistan desperately needs an estimated $12 billion, but is under pressure from the US to distance itself from China.
Indian court dismisses Maruti Suzuki workers’ bail application
By Keith Jones, 23 October 2018
There is incontrovertible evidence the Maruti Suzuki workers have been jailed for life as the result of a crude frame-up, but the judge callously refused to hear any of it.
India seizes “shadow bank” to avert potential “catastrophic” impact on financial system
By Kranti Kumara, 20 October 2018
Financial observers have said the collapse of IL&FS could have been India’s “Lehman Brothers moment”—a reference to the September 2008 bankruptcy that triggered the global financial meltdown.
Nineteen sentenced to death over 2004 grenade attack in Bangladesh
By Rohantha De Silva, 20 October 2018
The harsh sentences dovetail with a broader crackdown on political opposition by the Awami League-led government.
Divisions erupt within Sri Lankan government
By K. Ratnayake, 20 October 2018
Allegations that President Maithripala Sirisena told a cabinet meeting that “Indian intelligence” was planning to assassinate him, have brought deep rifts within the government to the surface.
Striking Tamil Nadu auto workers face dismissal
By Moses Rajkumar and Nanda Kumar, 17 October 2018
The unions have refused to mobilise workers to defend strikers at Yamaha, Enfield and MSA, and instead are making futile appeals to the courts and state government.
As Pakistan seeks IMF bailout, US intensifies pressure on Islamabad
By Sampath Perera, 16 October 2018
Washington has served notice that it intends to leverage Pakistan’s current account crisis to disrupt Islamabad’s economic and strategic partnership with China
Sri Lankan tea estate workers step up demands for higher pay
By M. Thevarajah, 13 October 2018
Demonstrations by estate workers underscore growing working-class opposition to the attacks of the government and employers.
The struggle for socialism and the importance of history: David North interviewed on Radio Sri Lanka
12 October 2018
David North, chairman of the international editorial board of the World Socialist Web Site, was interviewed at length on Radio Sri Lanka’s “Coffee with Dan” program early this week.
Tamil Nadu police arrest hundreds of striking Indian autoworkers
By Arun Kumar and Moses Rajkumar, 11 October 2018
Strikes and protests have broken out in Tamil Nadu companies that employ the majority of India’s 7.6 million auto manufacturing workers.
David North’s lecture at Peradeniya University in Kandy attracts significant support from students and workers
By our reporters, 5 October 2018
The 200-strong audience responded enthusiastically to the lecture marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Fourth International.
David North outlines contemporary relevance of Trotskyism at Colombo media briefing
By our reporters, 3 October 2018
North’s address provoked thoughtful questions from Capital Radio and Independent Television Network reporters.
Text of David North's remarks to Sri Lankan press conference on Trotskyism
By David North, 2 October 2018
These remarks were delivered by David North, chairman of the WSWS International Editorial Board, at a press briefing in Colombo on October 1.
Sri Lankan students discuss upcoming anniversary meetings on the history of the Trotskyist movement
By our reporters, 2 October 2018
University students in Kandy and Colombo outline their financial difficulties, concerns about unemployment and voice support for David North’s forthcoming lectures.
Sri Lankan plantation workers demonstrate for higher wages
By M. Thevarajah, 29 September 2018
The union-controlled protest was organised to promote illusions that the companies and the government will grant a “reasonable” pay rise for estate workers.
BJP government pushes Air India into financial morass to hasten privatization
By Kranti Kumara, 28 September 2018
The Indian government is determined to sell off what is among the country’s most identifiable companies internationally, so as to underline its commitment to the fire sale of public assets.
The 50th anniversary of the founding of the SEP (Sri Lanka)
The RCL/SEP’s political struggle against petty-bourgeois radicalism
By Kapila Fernando, 28 September 2018
The past five decades have confirmed the far-sightedness of the RCL/SEP’s political analysis and exposure of the petty-bourgeois radicalism of the JVP.
Pro-US candidate wins Maldives presidential election
By Rohantha De Silva, 26 September 2018
Yameen’s electoral defeat will be used by the US and India to boost their political and strategic influence in the Maldives which will heighten regional geopolitical tensions.
The 50th anniversary of the founding of the SEP (Sri Lanka)
From the LSSP’s Great Betrayal to the founding of the RCL
By Wije Dias, 26 September 2018
This is the second in a series of articles published by the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka to mark the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation in June 1968.
UN expert advises Sri Lankan government about social impact of austerity measures
By Saman Gunadasa, 25 September 2018
The statements are a warning to the government and international finance capital that the worsening living conditions of the working people in Sri Lanka will produce a social explosion.
India cancels talks with Pakistan, threatens military action
By Keith Jones, 24 September 2018
India’s army chief said “pain” should be inflicted on Pakistan, while applauding New Delhi’s scuttling of foreign ministerial talks with Pakistan.
The 50th anniversary of the founding of the SEP (Sri Lanka)
The lessons of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party’s Great Betrayal
By Rohantha De Silva and Vilani Peiris, 24 September 2018
This series of articles published by the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka marks the fiftieth anniversary of its foundation in June 1968.
Bangladesh garment workers denounce minimum wage offer
By Wimal Perera, 20 September 2018
Four million workers in the profitable garment industry have not had a pay rise since 2013.
80th anniversary of the Fourth International and 50th anniversary of the SEP (Sri Lanka)
David North to address meetings in Sri Lanka on the lessons of the history and contemporary struggle for socialism
19 September 2018
Understanding the historic fight waged by the Fourth International and the SEP for the revolutionary leadership of the international working class is vital for the emerging class struggles.
Sri Lankan prime minister threatens increased internet and social media censorship
By Saman Gunadasa, 10 September 2018
Wickremesinghe’s comments are part of the escalating global censorship of the internet and social media, and other attacks on democratic rights.
India: Police charge pro-Dalit activists under anti-terrorism laws
By Kranti Kumara, 6 September 2018
With the aim of muzzling opposition to the BJP government and its noxious Hindu supremacist ideology, police arrested five left-wing activists after conducting warrantless searches of their homes.
US and Japan increase efforts to undercut Chinese influence in Sri Lanka
By Rohantha De Silva, 3 September 2018
The US, Japan and India are continuing to publicly voice their concerns over Colombo’s relations with Beijing.
UN condemns Burma’s persecution of Rohingya minority
By Oscar Grenfell, 30 August 2018
The release of the UN panel report coincides with calls for tougher US sanctions against Burma, aimed at pressuring it to scale back its ties with China.
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