Terror threats against socialist leader
The United Socialist Party (USP) is the largest socialist party in Sri Lanka and organsies workers and urban poor from all ethnic backgrounds - Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim. It is actively opposed to the drift towards civil war in that country and works with other parties in the anti-war coalition, the United People’s Movement (UPM).
Earlier this month a UPM rally was attacked by 100 racist thugs led by deputy cabinet minister, Mervyn da Silva, and our USP party leader Sirithunga (’Siri’) Jaysuriya narrowly escaped with his life. The attack was widely reported, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6245929.stm.
Since then a web site has listed 27 people to be assassinated as ‘traitors’ to Sinhalese interests - with Siri being in the No. 1 target.
Siri has also received phone threats to his life from Australian telephone numbers!
On Monday Siri returns to Sri Lanka after attending the Congress of our international body, the CWI, in Belgium. The Sri Lankan government has spread lies that we was actually meeting the Tamil Tigers, not attending our socialist meeting. This accusation is basically a green light to Singalese extremist groups to attack Siri.
In 1999, Siri toured Australia on the invitation of SP and spoke to meetings of workers in NSW and Victoria, including mass meetings of the AMWU, NUW and CFMEU. He raised thousands of dollars for the tea workers’ union in Sri Lanka.
We are asking all SP supporters to write letters of protest to the Sri Lanka President (cc’d to the Sri Lankan High Commission in Canberra) before Monday. We thank Greens Senator Kerrie Nettle and Democrats leader Lyn Alison for their support so far. SP members, including our Yarra Councillor Stephen Jolly have also sent messages as well as SP members who are in elected positions.
Email address for the Sri Lankan President: gosl@presidentsl.org
