From: "Jari-Pekka Raitamaa" Subject: [luokkataistelu] SRI LANKA - SOCIALISTS WIN SUPPORT AMID WORST-EVER ELECTION VIOLENCE SRI LANKA - SOCIALISTS WIN SUPPORT AMID WORST-EVER ELECTION VIOLENCE The Sri Lankan election campaign has been the most violent ever. More than sixty people were killed, hundreds injured and tens of thousands prevented from actually going to the polls on December 5. "The coming to power of the United National Party and its Tamil allies will not see an end to the violence," says Siritunga Jayasuriya of the United Socialist Party, Sri Lankan section of the Committee for a Workers' International. "Communal violence will erupt over the UNP's election pledge to re-start talks with the Tamil Tiger fighters and their World Bank dictated policy will drive the working class and poor people further towards destitution. "In this situation, it is vital that our party continues campaigning, as we have done in the election campaign, with a clear socialist alternative on the national question and on the burning social issues of jobs, pay, prices and housing. "Standing in nine constituencies for the first time as an official party, we feel the USP is now firmly established on the political map in Sri Lanka. Without resources to hold public meetings or pay for adverts in the media, we still got 9,457 votes. In some areas we did better than both the New Left Front of Wickeremabahu and the Democratic Left Front of Vasudeva Nanayakkara who have been involved in unprincipled alliances in the recent period." _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
