Link to this page: http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/issue/566/6893
From The Socialist newspaper, 11 February 2009
Sri Lanka
United Socialist Party members remanded on trumped-up charges
THE LEADING United Socialist Party candidate for the Provincial Council Elections on 14 February, Murugesh Chandiran, and two other members of the USP campaign have been remanded in custody until 16 February by the Nuwara Eliya magistrate on trumped-up charges.
Srinath Perera, USP (CWI, Sri Lanka)
Ruling party members belonging to the Ceylon Workers' Congress threatened and verbally abused Chandiron after he held a successful public meeting presided over and addressed by Siritunga Jayasuriya, general secretary of the USP.
A verbal argument ensued between the two groups and following this one of the CWC members admitted himself to the Nuwara Eliya Hospital, alleging that he had been assaulted by comrade Chandiran and others.
The police initially arrested the three people mentioned above and two CWC members but released the latter two after recording their statements. Chandiran and the two others were produced before the magistrate on 2 February and remanded until the 16th.
This is a clear case of victimisation of socialist campaigners and of bias on the part of the police towards the CWC which is a constituent partner of the ruling alliance.
The CWC has been utterly discredited among the Tamil plantation workers in the central hills as its leaders are unashamedly supporting the murderous war perpetrated by the government of president Rajapakse in the north of the country.
This is another blatant attempt to silence critics of the government and deny them the democratic right to contest the ruling parties' policies.
We demand the immediate release of Murugesh Chandiran, Selliah Thevendran and Murugesh Selvendran to allow them to carry on their campaigning work for the election.
President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse. priu@presidentsoffice.lk
Secretary of Defence, Public Security, Law and Order, Gotabhaya Rajapakse. gotabaya@defence.lk
Copies and messages of solidarity to: unitedsocialists@gmail.com and cwi@worldsoc.co.uk
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In The Socialist 11 February 2009:
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Vendetta continues against socialist fighter
JCB owner - still shovelling in the cash
Construction workers
Lindsey oil refinery strike: Workers score important victory
Construction workers' battle to defend jobs and conditions
Motherwell Bridge bosses declare war on striking workers
Socialist Party youth and students
College students - keen to fight back
Socialist Party campaigns
Tyneside Metro: Workers' action to stop privatisation
Carbon trading crisis creates bonanza for polluting firms
Exeter: Mobilising to stop the far right
Car workers
Car industry in crisis - national meeting
Socialist Party workplace news
Wirral cuts: We need a new party
Defend jobs at Salford University
Protest against the Unison witch-hunt
Greenwich council: An injury to one is an injury to all
International socialist news and analysis
Nationalise Waterford Crystal!
United Socialist Party members remanded on trumped-up charges
Socialist Party review
Football
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