South Asia
South Asian governments ignore millions of monsoon flood victims
By Wimal Perera, 13 August 2020
While the suffering of flood-hit people mount amid the monsoon rains, South Asian governments refuse to provide them necessary assistance.
Hospital fire in southern India kills 10 COVID-19 patients
By Arun Kumar, 12 August 2020
With the pandemic spreading rapidly in the country, the circumstances of the fire point to criminal negligence on the part of governments and hotel and hospital authorities.
Sri Lankan election exposes historic crisis of capitalist rule
By K. Ratnayake, 11 August 2020
The election is not a “people’s victory,” but an electoral win by a party preparing for authoritarian rule under President Rajapakse who has already appointed a host of generals to his administration.
Indian railway and Sri Lankan port workers oppose privatisation; Australian supermarket warehouse employees stop work over COVID-19 infection
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
8 August 2020
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War crimes in Afghanistan covered up by UK Ministry of Defence
By Jean Shaoul, 6 August 2020
Documents, written by SAS officers and military personnel, provide evidence of war crimes.
Sri Lankan Trotskyists hold final online election meeting
By our correspondents, 6 August 2020
The Socialist Equality Party held its last meeting on August 2, after a determined election campaign that reached key sections of the Sri Lankan working class and youth.
Consecrating an historic crime:
Indian PM Modi to lay cornerstone for Hindu temple at site of razed Ayodhya mosque
By Deepal Jayasekera, 5 August 2020
Facing mounting popular anger over its ruinous response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BJP government is doubling down on its Hindu supremacist agenda.
COVID-19 infections rapidly spread across Bangladesh
By Rohantha De Silva, 1 August 2020
The worsening coronavirus crisis in Bangladesh is a direct result of inadequate public health spending by successive governments.
Sri Lankan SEP to hold online meeting to conclude its election campaign
1 August 2020
The SEP is the only party fighting for an international socialist perspective against deepening social inequality, the danger of imperialist war and the threat of dictatorship.
India: Punjab health workers strike for permanent jobs; Asahi auto glass-making workers strike in Chennai; Woolworths Distribution Centre workers locked out in Australia
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
1 August 2020
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India set to surpass two million COVID-19 cases within days
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 30 July 2020
While the government claims that it is mounting a “successful battle,” the virus is rampaging across the India, with half a million new infections in the past 12 days.
SEP election campaign in Sri Lanka: Workers denounce establishment parties
By our reporters, 25 July 2020
Over the past weeks, SEP campaigners have discussed with workers and youth the need to politically fight on the basis of a socialist program.
Indian health workers protest over COVID-19 treatment discrimination and wages; Western Australian caterers and cleaners strike on offshore gas platforms
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
25 July 2020
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South Asian floods kill hundreds and displace millions
By Arun Kumar, 24 July 2020
The flooding comes as Indian and Bangladeshi residents were attempting to recover from Cyclone Amphan, which destroyed or damaged 260,000 houses in May.
Sri Lankan SEP election meeting discusses working-class response to COVID-19 pandemic
By our correspondents, 22 July 2020
More than 2,000 people—in Sri Lanka and internationally—have watched SEP’s online event, posting comments and questions about the party’s program.
Bangladeshi government cracks down on opposition to jute mill privatisation
By Wimal Perera, 21 July 2020
The police arrest of two activists is an attempt to intimidate workers opposing the government’s destruction of thousands of jute mill jobs.
India: Over 40,000 Karnataka health workers begin indefinite state-wide strike; Pakistani doctors protest and Sri Lanka nurses demand overtime pay
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
18 July 2020
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As India approaches 1 million COVID-19 cases, Modi government continues to deny community transmission
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 17 July 2020
The absurd claim that India is not experiencing significant community transmission is part of the government’s reckless back-to-work drive and its criminal “herd immunity” policy.
Tamil National Alliance offers to support Sri Lankan president’s autocratic rule
By Paramu Thirugnanasambanthar—lead SEP candidate for Jaffna district, 17 July 2020
The TNA is offering to support Rajapakse’s moves to dictatorial forms of rule as long as he makes concessions, no matter how small, to the interests of the venal Tamil elites.
As support widens for SEP defence campaign
Sri Lanka army commander says allegations of military harassment of northern election candidates are “false”
By our correspondents, 16 July 2020
Army commander Shavendra Silva’s claims and his refusal to acknowledge the detailed evidence provided by the SEP are a veiled threat against all election candidates in the North.
Amid Sri Lankan elections, YouTube censors Tamil-language WSWS posts
By V. Gnana, 16 July 2020
The move aims to prevent the Socialist Equality Party of Sri Lanka from alerting Tamil-speaking workers internationally in a timely fashion of the political dangers they face.
UNICEF report: COVID-19 exacerbating hunger and other maladies facing South Asia’s children
By Naveen Dewage, 15 July 2020
According to the UNICEF report, close to 1 million more South Asian children could die in the coming year due to lack of access to food, vaccines, and timely medical care.
Massive worker participation in three-day India Coal strike
By Kranti Kumara, 11 July 2020
Last week’s strike had a huge impact on Coal India’s output, indicating that a large majority of its more than 500,000 regular and contract workers joined the walkout.
Neyveli Thermal plant explosion in southern India kills 13 workers
By Arun Kumar, 10 July 2020
The explosion at the government-owned mine and power plant is a result of the corporation’s refusal to replace outdated and dangerous facilities and equipment.
Surge in infections gives India third highest COVID-19 cases worldwide
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 9 July 2020
The surge is a direct result of the Modi government’s homicidal “herd immunity” policy, which prioritizes the profit interests of big business over the lives of workers and their families.
Letters demand Sri Lankan defence secretary stop military harassment of SEP candidates
By our correspondents, 9 July 2020
This campaign is part of broader struggle to defend the democratic rights of all working people against dictatorial measures.
India takes economic reprisals against China as border frictions continue
By Deepal Jayasekera and Keith Jones, 8 July 2020
Although several rounds of talks have been held, both New Delhi and Beijing continue to maintain an enhanced military presence along their disputed border.
Modi government prosecutes anti-CAA protest leaders on bogus terrorism charges
By Kranti Kumar and Shuvu Batta, 7 July 2020
Turning reality on its head, the Delhi police, acting on the orders of the BJP government, is trying to blame anti-CAA protest leaders for the anti-Muslim riots that convulsed northeast Delhi in late February.
Sri Lankan Trotskyists hold first online election rally
By our correspondent, 7 July 2020
The SEP is the only party advancing an international socialist program in the Sri Lankan national elections.
Vote SEP in the Sri Lankan general election
Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka) to hold second online election rally
6 July 2020
The SEP’s online meeting will discuss critical political developments in Sri Lanka and internationally and the tasks facing the working class.
Pandemic spirals out of control in South Africa, India, Brazil
By Bryan Dyne, 4 July 2020
The official tallies in each country of daily confirmed coronavirus cases have become exponential, indicating that whatever containment measures were implemented to halt the spread of the virus have essentially collapsed.
Sri Lankan president orders Central Bank to give more credit to big business
By Saman Gunadasa, 4 July 2020
While providing huge financial concessions to the banks and big business, the government is imposing greater economic burdens on workers and the poor.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
4 July 2020
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Hundreds of thousands of Indian coal miners launch three-day strike against privatisation
By Arun Kumar, 3 July 2020
Facing an economic crisis that has been greatly exacerbated by the pandemic and the ruling elite’s selfish class response, the Modi government is pushing through a “quantum jump” in pro-investor “reforms.”
Pandemic rages across South Asia as total cases near 1 million
By our correspondents, 1 July 2020
The governments of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh are rushing to “reopen” their economies even as COVID-19 cases and deaths are growing exponentially.
Pandemic surpasses 10 million COVID-19 cases and over 500,000 deaths globally
By Benjamin Mateus, 29 June 2020
COVID-19 cases in the United States have careened out of control, with health care systems in Texas, Florida and Arizona nearing collapse.
Indian and Pakistani health workers strike over coronavirus safety; Australia Paper maintenance workers locked out
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
27 June 2020
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India rapidly emerging as epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic in Asia
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 25 June 2020
As a result of the Modi government’s abandonment of lockdown measures, the coronavirus is spreading like wildfire in both urban slums and rural areas.
NSSP leader contests Sri Lankan elections on United National Party slate
By Vilani Peiris—leader of the SEP slate for Colombo district, 25 June 2020
The NSSP’s decision to contest with the UNP is a further expression of the right-wing political degeneration of this middle-class formation and other pseudo-left groups internationally.
Sri Lankan SEP to hold first election rally online on June 28
By the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), 24 June 2020
The SEP meeting will discuss the crucial political developments in Sri Lanka and internationally and the tasks before the Sri Lankan working class.
Sri Lankan soldiers kill Tamil youth in Jaffna
By Wimal Perera, 23 June 2020
The shooting of Thiraviyam Ramalingam is part of the army occupation of the North and East and President Rajapakse’s increasing militarisation of his rule.
Sri Lankan SEP holds online meeting on global protests against police murders
By Wije Dias, 22 June 2020
Wije Dias, General Secretary of the Socialist Equality Party in Sri Lanka, delivered the main speech at an online meeting on the global protests against the police killings and moves towards autocratic methods of rule.
US stokes India-China conflict, blames Chinese “aggression” for border clash
By Keith Jones, 20 June 2020
Senior US official David Stilwell provocatively told a press briefing that the Chinese army had “invaded” the “contested area” between India and China.
India and China remain on knife edge as war tensions continue
By Shuvu Batta and Keith Jones, 19 June 2020
While proclaiming they want to de-escalate, India and China are each demanding the other stand down and pouring additional troops and weapons into their border regions.
Sharp spike of coronavirus deaths in India
By Saman Gunadasa, 19 June 2020
Right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi has categorically ruled out a second lockdown even after India registered more than 2,000 deaths on Tuesday and over 13,000 new infections on both Wednesday and Thursday.
Dozens die in India-China border clash
By Keith Jones, 17 June 2020
It is the enmeshing of the India-China rivalry with the strategic confrontation between China and US imperialism that makes the border dispute so combustible and incendiary.
Over 1,170 COVID-19 deaths as pandemic surges in Bangladesh
By Wimal Perera, 15 June 2020
The Awami League government ignored warnings by medical experts who publicly opposed any lifting of the lockdown.
Three months since the cruise industry shutdown
Mauritian government and cruise companies hold stranded crew for ransom
By Tom Casey, 13 June 2020
The government’s repatriation plan has incurred bitter opposition from crew members of all nationalities, as well as from the families of Mauritian crew who anxiously await their relatives’ returns.
India: A massive explosion in Gujarat chemical plant kills 10 workers
By Arun Kumar, 13 June 2020
The tragic loss of life and terrible injuries are a direct result of government and company indifference towards mandatory work safety measures.
Sri Lankan police violently suppress protest against the killing of George Floyd
By our reporters, 12 June 2020
The police attack is a message from the Rajapakse administration that it will not tolerate any opposition from workers, young people and the poor.
UK: Indian cruise ship crew members still awaiting repatriation
By Paul Bond, 12 June 2020
Around 650 Indian crew members of TUI/Marella cruise ships are still laid up in waters off Southampton on the south coast of England.
COVID-19 cases rise rapidly after South Asia’s governments abandon lockdowns
By our correspondents, 10 June 2020
India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have all recorded dramatic increases in COVID-19 infections and deaths over the past week.
Sri Lankan president establishes military taskforce: Another step toward dictatorship
By the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), 9 June 2020
The working class can stop the threat of a dictatorship only by mobilising its independent strength to overthrow capitalism.
More Australian war crimes exposed in Afghanistan
By Jason Quill, 6 June 2020
The exposure of Ziauddin’s killing highlights the years of coverups by successive Australian governments, both Liberal-National and Labor, of military abuses in the Middle East.
India-wide protests by military armament and power industry workers; Australian airport workers demand JobKeeper pay
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
6 June 2020
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Sri Lankan health workers protest wage and transport cuts during pandemic
By W. A. Sunil, 4 June 2020
While hospital workers across all grades and union affiliations participated in the protests the unions are seeking to head off a confrontation with the government.
Indian government abandons lockdown measures as coronavirus infections soar
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 2 June 2020
An epidemiologist who is advising the government on its plan to “reopen” the economy blithely acknowledged that it will result in a catastrophic loss of life, declaring that “India may see at least two million deaths.”
SEP (Sri Lanka) calls for action committees to counter COVID-19 and defend jobs
By the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), 2 June 2020
In defending their rights, workers cannot rely on the trade unions which have become appendages of big business.
Explosion at Indian thermal power plant kills four workers
By Arun Kumar, 1 June 2020
The tragic deaths are a result of the management’s hasty moves to resume work, in line with the Modi government’s instructions to reopen the economy.
Coronavirus cases surpass six million globally
By Bryan Dyne, 30 May 2020
New epicenters in Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent are rapidly causing massive public health crises.
Bangladesh COVID-19 deaths soar past 500
By Rohantha De Silva, 30 May 2020
The death and infection curves are still rising, but the Awami League government is reopening the economy in the interests of big business.
After ignoring migrant workers’ plight, the Indian Supreme Court now acknowledges unfolding social tragedy
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 30 May 2020
The court’s intervention reflects concerns fear by India’s legal authorities that mounting mass anger will erupt against the entire capitalist elite and its state.
Indian autoworkers strike for COVID-19 safety measures; Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers demonstrate
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
30 May 2020
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Sri Lankan government responds to rising COVID-19 infections by abandoning expatriate workers
By Saman Gunadasa, 29 May 2020
The Rajapakse government’s ruthless attitude towards the stranded migrant workers is matched by its hostility to ordinary people inside Sri Lankan.
Mumbai health care system overwhelmed as COVID-19 surges across India
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 28 May 2020
”It’s a war zone,” said a doctor employed at one of the main hospitals in India’s second largest city.
COVID-19 destroys almost half a million tourism jobs in Sri Lanka
By our reporters, 28 May 2020
Big tourist companies demand more funds to revive their businesses, not out of sympathy for workers, but to boost profits.
Sri Lankan Everbest garment workers protest job and wage cuts
By our reporters, 26 May 2020
The trade unions, like the counterparts around the world, are assisting the government and the employers.
South Asian countries ease COVID-19 lockdowns despite sharp rise in infections
By our correspondents, 25 May 2020
The absence of health care infrastructure across the region means that huge numbers of cases are going undetected, and many are dying due to a lack of basic medical care.
Gulf States force India and other South Asian states to repatriate impoverished migrant workers
By Shuvu Batta, 25 May 2020
The migrant workers, whose labour has helped keep the Gulf States oligarchs basking in luxury, are being deported as COVID-19 renders them an economic burden and political threat.
Ninety-seven die in Pakistan International Airline crash
By Sampath Perera, 25 May 2020
The plane was in the air for 10 to 15 more minutes after its initial aborted landing attempt, according to eyewitnesses.
Sri Lankan government understates COVID-19 figures to recklessly reopen economy
By Naveen Dewage, 23 May 2020
The low number of infections in Sri Lanka is because few COVID-19 tests are being conducted—an average of less than 600 per day between February 18 and May 20.
Indian police detain thousands of sacked migrant workers; Pakistani health workers demand unpaid wages and allowances
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
23 May 2020
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Sri Lankan president demands legal immunity for the military
By Pradeep Ramanayake, 21 May 2020
The real purpose of Gotabhaya Rajapakse’s defence and promotion of the military is to prepare for another savage war against the working class.
Seven Sri Lankan families homeless after plantation fire
By M. Thevarajah, 20 May 2020
Fires frequently occur in the old and rundown estate plantation line rooms.
As Modi government eases lockdown, coronavirus cases surge in India
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 19 May 2020
Municipal authorities in Mumbai, India’s second largest city, recently announced that due to a lack of hospital beds, they were placing COVID-19 patients on a waiting list for medical treatment.
Growing number of Bangladeshi garment workers infected with COVID-19
By Wimal Perera, 18 May 2020
The government is implementing “herd immunity” policies that could lead to the deaths of tens of thousands.
Modi promotes “herd immunity,” vows “quantum jump” in pro-investor reforms
By Wasantha Rupasinghe and Keith Jones, 18 May 2020
As the Modi government expands its reckless back-to-work drive, India reported yesterday its biggest daily jump in COVID-19 cases to date.
COVID-19: Military steps up repression in war-ravaged northern Sri Lanka
By Subash Somachandran, 16 May 2020
The government and the military are nervous about the growing unrest among workers and poor against the draconian social conditions.
Worsening conditions at Hirdaramani garment plants in Sri Lanka
By our reporters, 16 May 2020
Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers have responded to the COVID-19 crisis with a wave of wage and job cuts and the imposition of increased working hours and productivity targets.
Thousands of migrant workers demonstrate across India; Tamil Nadu cleaners demand COVID-19 protection
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
16 May 2020
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The brutal face of India’s ruling class
Sixteen migrant workers killed by goods train
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 14 May 2020
The workers, aged between 20 and 35, were attempting to return to their home state of Madhya Pradesh, having previously worked at a steel plant in Maharashtra.
Sri Lankan president “reopens economy” despite pandemic
By W.A. Sunil, 13 May 2020
The Rajapakse regime is seeking to overcome the economic crisis at the expense of the health and lives of working people.
Hundreds of Rohingya refugees stranded in Bay of Bengal
By Rohantha De Silva, 11 May 2020
The Rohingya were attempting to reach Malaysia in a bid to escape the appalling conditions in Bangladesh and in the hope of finding work as undocumented labourers.
Strikes and workers’ protests mount against “back to work” campaign
By Shannon Jones, 9 May 2020
The incompetence and callous disregard for human life by the capitalist authorities in country after country is fueling an upsurge in the class struggle.
India: Toxic gas leak in Visakhapatnam kills 11 people and puts thousands in danger
By Pradeep Ramanayake, 9 May 2020
The deadly leak began as employees were about to resume work at the LG Polymers plant, following the Modi government’s easing of COVID-19 restrictions.
Tamil National Alliance backs Sri Lanka’s Rajapakse regime on COVID-19
By Athiyan Silva, 9 May 2020
TNA leader M.A. Sumanthiran declared that he does not “allow political opinions or differences…not only in our country but throughout the world.”
Workers in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan strike to demand coronavirus-safe working conditions
Workers Struggles: Asia
9 May 2020
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Modi eases lockdown restrictions even as COVID-19 cases surge across India
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 8 May 2020
India’s far-right BJP government is pressing to “reopen” the economy so that sweatshop exploitation of the working class can resume at full throttle, even as the number of COVID-19 cases surges.
Garment workers’ protests hit Bangladesh industrial belts
By Wimal Perera, 7 May 2020
Bangladesh garment industry bosses are reopening plants, threatening workers’ lives as COVID-19 spreads, in line with the demands of US and European retailers.
Modi government punishes officials for urging increased taxation of rich to fight coronavirus
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 4 May 2020
Even as India’s workers and toilers face the COVID-19 pandemic and mass hunger, the Modi government is opposed to imposing even one additional rupee of tax upon the capitalist elite.
US trains Sri Lankan naval elite forces during COVID-19 lockdown
By Vijith Samarasinghe, 4 May 2020
US combat training of Sri Lankan navy personnel forces is part of Washington’s military preparations throughout the Indo-Pacific against China.
Thousands of Assam tea workers demand lockdown wages in India; Protests continue in Bangladesh over wages, factory closures and safety
Workers Struggles: Asia and Australia
2 May 2020
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“The central and state governments, as well as the opposition parties, don’t really care for human lives”
Tamil Nadu auto workers denounce Indian government responses to COVID-19
By Sasi Kumar and Moses Rajkumar, 1 May 2020
Millions of workers, particularly those in the so-called informal sector, have been left without any income to purchase food and other basic items.
Coronavirus pandemic surges across South Asia, even as governments push for a return to work
By our correspondents, 29 April 2020
The response of South Asia’s governments to the pandemic underscores the contempt of the national bourgeoisie for the lives of hundreds of millions of working people and rural toilers.
Is Sri Lankan President Rajapakse plotting a coup under cover of anti-pandemic measures?
By K. Ratnayake, 28 April 2020
The government is using the COVID-19 pandemic as the pretext to mount a power grab, insert the military into the running of the state, and run roughshod over working people’s democratic rights.
Why Gotabhaya Rajapakse wants Sri Lankan election held as soon as possible
By Vilani Peiris—Socialist Equality Party election group leader for Colombo district, 27 April 2020
Rajapakse wants a quick election before the full brunt of the economic meltdown hits and there is a social explosion by the working class and the poor.
India’s BJP and its Hindu-right allies scapegoat Muslims for spread of pandemic
By Wasantha Rupasinghe and Keith Jones, 25 April 2020
The manifest failure of the Modi government to protect the population from the ravages of the pandemic and its economic fallout have led the BJP to vilify and scapegoat Muslims.
Sri Lankan president says military to impose “discipline” when lockdown ends
By K. Ratnayake, 25 April 2020
Rajapakse’s threats have nothing to do with enforcing “social distancing” and the spread of COVID-19 but are in preparation to suppress mass unrest in the working class.
Tens of thousands of Nepali workers stranded abroad by COVID-19 disaster
By Rohantha De Silva, 24 April 2020
Nepal has a population of 28 million but so far only 8,763 people have been tested for the virus.
India: Modi government moves to “reopen” economy as virus cases surge
By Wasantha Rupasinghe and Keith Jones, 22 April 2020
Modi and big business have cynically sought to justify their push for a premature return to work by pointing to the desperate plight of hundreds of millions of day labourers.
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