Asia
ICFI supporters hold rally in India to demand freedom for Assange and Manning
By our correspondents, 16 May 2019
The rally in the capital of the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu attracted the attention of workers and youth.
US seizes North Korean ship
By Mike Head, 10 May 2019
This week’s developments demonstrate that the Trump administration has no intention of striking a deal with Pyongyang unless it involves a total capitulation and embrace of Washington’s offensive against China.
US tariff hike against China goes ahead
By Nick Beams, 10 May 2019
Trump said talks with Chinese representatives would proceed, but “I have no idea what’s going to happen.”
Imperialist war, the working-class upsurge in the Mideast and North Africa, and the strategy of Permanent Revolution
By Keith Jones, 10 May 2019
We are publishing here the text of the speech to the 2019 International May Day Online Rally delivered by Keith Jones.
Anti-Muslim witch-hunt after terrorist bombings in Sri Lanka
By our correspondents, 8 May 2019
Alongside a vicious campaign of anti-Muslim propaganda, hundreds of people have been arrested in house-to-house police operations.
India’s election and the revolutionary program to oppose austerity, war and communal reaction
By Keith Jones, 8 May 2019
The BJP’s turn to militarism and unabashed communal reaction is animated, above all, by its fear of growing social opposition.
One hundred years since the May 4 movement in China—Part Two
By Peter Symonds, 6 May 2019
The Chinese Communist Party today distorts the significance of the events of May 4, 1919. It has long ago repudiated the democratic principles of the New Culture movement and the socialist internationalism upon which the party was founded.
Bernie Sanders attacks Biden from the right on China trade
By Ben McGrath, 4 May 2019
In criticizing the former vice president, Sanders echoed Trump's anti-China demagogy and economic nationalism.
US-China trade talks enter final phase
By Nick Beams, 4 May 2019
One of the main sticking points is agreement on the procedure by which US tariffs imposed on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods would be lifted if a trade agreement is reached.
Japan’s emperor abdicates throne
By Ben McGrath, 4 May 2019
The far right in Japan, which includes Prime Minister Abe and most of his cabinet, is pushing for the emperor to resume the pre-war role of linchpin of a repressive, militarist regime.
One hundred years since the May 4 movement in China—Part One
By Peter Symonds, 4 May 2019
The May 4 movement which erupted in 1919 was part of a broader intellectual ferment, profoundly influenced by the Russian Revolution, that led to the establishment of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921.
Workers march and protest across Asia on May Day
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
4 May 2019
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Call to free Julian Assange raised in Taiwan on Labor Day
By a correspondent, 3 May 2019
The Free Assange Group explained to Taiwan workers that WikiLeaks served as a deterrent to war and was a tool for peace.
Sri Lankan SEP denounces political parties’ support for President Sirisena’s police state measures
By the Socialist Equality Party (Sri Lanka), 2 May 2019
The SEP warns that the main target of the repressive measures is not Islamic extremists, but working people and their struggles against the government’s austerity agenda.
Tea plantation workers need a global strategy
By Saman Gunadasa, 1 May 2019
Tea plantation workers in India, Kenya and Sri Lanka can end their brutal exploitation only by breaking from the unions and fighting for a unified socialist and internationalist strategy.
As class struggle sharpens,
Indian Stalinists stump for right-wing bourgeois government
By Deepal Jayasekera and Keith Jones, 1 May 2019
India’s Stalinist parliamentary parties have redoubled their efforts to subordinate the working class to the parties and putrid state institutions of the Indian bourgeoisie.
South Korean auto manufacturers stepping up assault on wages, working conditions
By Ben McGrath, 30 April 2019
South Korea’s labor unions have worked to ensure workers remain isolated as wages and benefits are slashed throughout the industry.
Indian rail workers protest; Bangladeshi food workers demand pay rise; New Zealand doctors to strike for five days
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
27 April 2019
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Sri Lankan president calls “all-party conference” to rubberstamp emergency powers
By Wasantha Rupasinghe, 25 April 2019
Following Sunday’s terrorist bombings, the conference has been called to shore up capitalist rule amid an acute political crisis.
After terrorist bombings, Sri Lankan government imposes draconian national emergency
By K. Ratnayake and Peter Symonds, 23 April 2019
The World Socialist Web Site condemns the horrendous bombings, which indiscriminately killed innocent men, women and children, and have already provided the pretext for sweeping anti-democratic measures.
At least 290 killed in terrorist bomb attacks in Sri Lanka
By K. Ratnayake, 22 April 2019
Despite an intelligence alert 10 days before, both the government and police failed to warn the public and took little or no action to prevent the terrible bombings.
Sri Lankan bomb survivors and local residents denounce terror attacks
By our correspondents, 22 April 2019
“The aim of this attack could be to instigate communalism and turmoil. It must be totally condemned.”
New round of US-China trade talks
By Nick Beams, 19 April 2019
Among the most contentious issues that remain unresolved are which US tariffs would continue force and the establishment of an enforcement mechanism.
Chinese authorities arrest editors involved with workers’ protests
By Navin Dewage and Peter Symonds, 18 April 2019
Amid a slowing economy and growing signs of working class unrest, Beijing is using its police state apparatus to clamp down on opposition.
SEP and IYSSE in Sri Lanka rally to defend Assange and Manning
By our reporters, 17 April 2019
Sri Lankan media outlets, including Veerakesari, Sri Lanka’s main Tamil-language daily newspaper, covered the SEP and IYSSE demonstration in Colombo.
SEP (Sri Lanka) calls urgent picket to defend Assange and Manning
16 April 2019
The protest called by the SEP and IYSSE will be held at 4 pm today at Fort Railway Station, Colombo.
Communalist taunts, bellicose threats, phony promises
India’s election descends into the mire
By Keith Jones, 16 April 2019
With each week, the election campaign in the world’s “largest democracy” grows more toxic.
Widodo predicted to be re-elected as Indonesian president
By Peter Symonds, 16 April 2019
Tomorrow’s election involves carefully vetted candidates backed by rival factions of the Indonesian ruling class, none of whom represents the interests of workers and the rural poor.
Sri Lankan writer imprisoned at instigation of Buddhist extremists
By our correspondents, 13 April 2019
The SEP and the IYSSE condemn the arrest of award-winning Sri Lankan author Shakthika Sathkumara and demand his immediate release.
Ash is the Purest White: Finding one’s way in “the new ‘capitalist’ China”
And Working Woman from Israel
By David Walsh, 13 April 2019
Jia Zhangke has demonstrated a concern with the fate of workers and others whose lives have been turned upside down by the full integration of China into the global capitalist economy.
Police attack teachers in Kolkata; thousands of Bangladesh jute mill workers protest
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
13 April 2019
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Samjhauta Express bombing:
Indian Court allows violent Hindu supremacists to go scot-free
By Kranti Kumara, 9 April 2019
In what is a consistent pattern in cases involving Hindu communalist violence against Muslims, an Indian court has exonerated four Hindu extremists implicated in a 2007 bombing that killed 68.
Sri Lankan government prepares new anti-terrorism laws
By Dilruwan Vithanage and Saman Gunadasa, 9 April 2019
The new bill surpasses the hated PTA measures and will be used to suppress the upsurge of opposition against Colombo’s harsh austerity measures.
US-China trade deal pushed back
By Nick Beams, 6 April 2019
Trump emerged from a meeting with chief Chinese trade negotiator Liu He to say it would take at least four weeks to reach an agreement as he declined to set a date for a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Office workers killed in building fires in Bangladesh
By Rohantha De Silva, 6 April 2019
Hundreds of residents have been killed or injured in recent years by the regularly occurring fires in the city.
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
6 April 2019
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Confrontation between Chinese and Taiwanese fighter jets
By Peter Symonds, 3 April 2019
The incident highlights the dangers of a war in Asia fueled by the Trump administration, which has deliberately inflamed the region’s volatile flashpoints.
UNHRC ignores Sri Lanka’s failure to investigate war crimes
By Pradeep Ramanayake, 3 April 2019
The UNHRC resolution bogusly praised Colombo’s “positive steps” on human rights and gave it two more years to implement previous unfulfilled pledges.
Thai military junta holds rigged election
By John Roberts and Peter Symonds, 1 April 2019
After seizing power in 2014, the regime has repeatedly delayed any poll, fearing a voter backlash.
Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev resigns amid mounting political crisis
By David Levine and Clara Weiss, 30 March 2019
The crisis in Kazakhstan is a result of the resurgence of working-class struggles and the escalating war drive by US imperialism against Russia and China.
Engineering department workers strike in India’s Jammu state; Sri Lankan nurses strike; Tasmanian teachers to strike for higher pay
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
30 March 2019
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Sri Lankans driven to suicide by exorbitant debt repayments
By Saman Gunadasa, 28 March 2019
Most of those who committed suicide were from the war-ravaged Vavuniya and Jaffna districts in the island’s north and Batticalao in the east.
Amidst mounting social opposition
Indian elite nervously prepares for national elections
By Wasantha Rupasinghe and Keith Jones, 27 March 2019
Among India’s workers and toilers there is deep-rooted anger against not only the ruling BJP, but against the ruinous outcome of three decades of “pro-investor” reform.
US stages another provocation in the Taiwan Strait
By Ben McGrath, 26 March 2019
The move on Sunday is part of increased US military relations with Taiwan, risking a clash with China.
Sri Lankan think tank warns about growing levels of social inequality
By Dilruwan Vithanage, 26 March 2019
In 2016, the richest 10 percent earned the equivalent of the total amount earned by 70 percent of all households per year.
Midday meal workers protest in Telangana, India; Telstra technicians implement work bans across Australia
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
23 March 2019
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Reports underscore how close India and Pakistan came to all-out war in late February
By Keith Jones, 20 March 2019
Just three weeks ago, India and Pakistan became the first nuclear-armed powers to ever attack each other with warplanes.
Sri Lanka: Abbotsleigh Estate Workers Action Committee and SEP hold powerful conference
By our correspondents, 20 March 2019
Over 100 people participated, including estate workers, workers from a diverse range of trades, students and a delegation from Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged northern province.
Victimized Indian autoworker and leader of fight to free framed-up workers speaks to WSWS:
Jailing the Maruti Suzuki workers for life “is meant to encourage the capitalists to further enslave the working class”
By our reporters, 18 March 2019
Jitender Dhankhar—a victimized Maruti Suzuki worker and leader of the fight to free the 13 of his former co-workers at the Manesar car assembly plant who have been jailed for life on frame-up charges—has provided the following interview to the World Socialist Web Site.
Support grows for Sri Lankan plantation workers’ conference
By our correspondents, 16 March 2019
Campaign teams hold discussions with workers on estates across the country’s central hill district.
Over 35,000 jute mill workers strike in Bangladesh; 200,000 Sri Lankan teachers and principals walk out for higher pay; Telstra technicians strike in Australia
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
16 March 2019
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The US reinforces political and military relations with the Maldives
By Rohantha De Silva, 15 March 2019
The foreign minister’s US trip illustrates how far the new Maldivian government is distancing itself from China.
IMF endorses Sri Lankan government budget
By Saman Gunadasa, 14 March 2019
In line with the IMF’s austerity demands, the government budget contains new taxes and rate rises as well as increased spending on the military and the police.
India: Modi government suppresses disastrous unemployment report
By Kranti Kumara, 13 March 2019
According to the government’s own Labour Force Survey, India’s unemployment rate is the highest in 45 years.
Indian Trotskyists hold Kolkata public meeting to celebrate 80th anniversary of the Fourth International
By our correspondents, 13 March 2019
Sunday’s event was held against the background of intense political and military tension and the danger of war between India and Pakistan, with deadly consequences for millions of people in the region.
Joint US-South Korean war games amid rising tensions with North Korea
By Peter Symonds, 11 March 2019
While there is no return as yet to Trump’s previous bellicose threats of war, negotiations are clearly stalled, if not unravelling.
Chinese premier warns of grave risks and challenges ahead
By Peter Symonds, 9 March 2019
Addressing this week’s National People’s Congress, Li Keqiang referred to “public dissatisfaction in many areas,” amid a slowing Chinese economy and rising geo-political tensions.
Demand the unconditional reinstatement of Sri Lankan plantation worker S. Balasubramaniyam!
By M. Thevarajah and W.A. Sunil, 7 March 2019
Balasubramaniyam’s sacking is part of a broader attack on estate workers by the plantation companies and the government.
Days after coming to the brink of all-out war
India and Pakistan stoke chauvinism, exchange threats
By Deepal Jayasekera, 6 March 2019
Although cross-border shelling has reportedly declined since Sunday, continuing tensions between South Asia’s rival nuclear-armed states have left the region on the brink of a catastrophic war.
SEP meetings launch Tamil edition of The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century
By our correspondents, 6 March 2019
The meetings at Hatton in Sri Lanka’s central plantation district and Jaffna, in the war-ravaged north, attracted important layers of workers and youth.
India-Pakistan war tensions escalate
By Deepal Jayasekera, 4 March 2019
At least six civilians and two Pakistani soldiers have been killed as a result of cross-border shelling from both sides along the Line of Control.
Canada gives go-ahead for Huawei executive’s extradition to US
By Nick Beams, 2 March 2019
A statement from Meng’s defence lawyers objected to the Canadian decision in the face of what it called “the political nature of the US charges.”
India and Pakistan tobogganing toward a catastrophic war
By Keith Jones, 2 March 2019
India and Pakistan are teetering on the brink of what would be the first-ever war between nuclear-armed states.
India: Pricol autoparts workers continue strike in Tamil Nadu; Chinese food delivery workers protest pay cuts; 3,000 New Zealand doctors hold two-day strike
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
2 March 2019
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Second summit between Trump and Kim collapses with no agreement
By Ben McGrath, 1 March 2019
Talks collapsed on the second day of the summit in Vietnam with the two sides failing to produce any tangible results.
India and Pakistan issue fresh war threats
By K. Ratnayake, 1 March 2019
Even as Islamabad agreed to release a captured Indian pilot as a “peace gesture,” India and Pakistan continued their war preparations.
Enforcement and technology key issues in China trade deal, Lighthizer tells US Congress
By Nick Beams, 1 March 2019
The US Trade Representative made it clear the fundamental question is “structural reforms” in the Chinese economy.
Nuclear-armed India, Pakistan on brink of all-out war
By K. Ratnayake, 28 February 2019
Pakistan announced Wednesday that it had struck targets in India after India carried out a large-scale bombing raid deep in Pakistan on Tuesday morning.
US naval chief denounces China and calls for stronger military partnership with Sri Lanka
By Vijith Samarasinghe, 28 February 2019
Sri Lanka’s strategic location alongside the world’s busiest shipping route is vital to increasingly aggressive US geo-strategic and military manoeuvres against China.
Sri Lankan plantation companies reap huge profits while attacking workers’ wages and conditions
By Saman Gunadasa, 27 February 2019
Plantation workers’ wages are being lowered while giant tea industry corporations and local companies alike thrive through the ruthless exploitation of their workforce.
Reports disclose super-exploitation of Chinese technology workers
By Pradeep Ramanayake, 26 February 2019
Some 85 percent of white-collar employees in China have to work overtime, with more than 45 percent reporting overtime of more than 10 hours a week.
Further blows to US anti-Huawei campaign
By Nick Beams, 23 February 2019
The Wall Street Journal has reported that the German government is “leaning towards letting Huawei … participate in building the nation’s high-speech internet infrastructure.”
Indian telecommunication workers strike; Bangladesh teachers and education workers protest pay cuts; New Zealand anaesthetic technicians strike
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
23 February 2019
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Frontline Socialist Party prepares political trap for Sri Lankan plantation workers
By K. Ratnayake, 21 February 2019
The FSP is attempting to prevent plantation workers from breaking with the unions and developing an independent struggle against the employers and the government.
US anti-Huawei campaign suffers a blow
By Nick Beams, 20 February 2019
According to a report in the Financial Times, the UK National Cyber Security Network has concluded that “it is possible to mitigate the risk from using Huawei equipment in 5G networks.”
The Progressive Revolution: Modern Art for a New India
Modern Indian art at the Asia Society Museum in New York
By Josh Varlin and Evan Cohen, 20 February 2019
The Progressive Artists’ Group brought together remarkable artists whose works express the democratic and anti-imperialist sentiments of millions as the British Raj ended.
Indian government intensifies retaliatory threats against Pakistan
By Deepal Jayasekera, 19 February 2019
Any Indian military strike could easily lead to a tit-for-tat escalation and rapidly cascade into an all-out war between South Asia’s rival nuclear-armed states.
Sri Lankan tea plantation workers protest victimisations
By our reporters, 19 February 2019
Demonstrators denounced the unions’ betrayal of recent wage strikes and demanded management immediately end the frame-up of militant Annfield Estate workers.
Indian government seizes on Kashmir attack to ratchet up tensions with Pakistan
By Deepal Jayasekera, 16 February 2019
New Delhi’s denunciations and blood-curdling threats are all but an announcement of an impending Indian military strike on Pakistan.
No agreement on US-China trade with talks to continue
By Nick Beams, 16 February 2019
The next round will be virtually the last chance to reach a formal agreement before March 1, after which the US will increase tariffs—from 10 to 25 percent—on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.
Bangladesh steel workers demand wage rise; Australian coal haulage workers continue strike action; New Zealand bus drivers hold wildcat strikes
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
16 February 2019
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Sri Lankan president denounces opponents of the death penalty
By Vijith Samarasinghe, 15 February 2019
Sirisena not only wants reinstatement of executions but the endorsement of all human rights organisations.
Sri Lanka: SEP and Abbotsleigh workers’ committee organise picket to oppose witch hunt in plantations
By our reporters, 14 February 2019
The fight against the witch hunt in the plantations is bound up with the defence of the democratic rights of the working class from the onslaught of the capitalist class.
Trump to hold second summit with North Korean leader
By Peter Symonds, 13 February 2019
By holding out the prospect that North Korea could become an “economic powerhouse,” Trump is seeking to entice Pyongyang out of China’s orbit and into closer ties with the US.
Sri Lankan plantation companies rule out further wage increases after union sellout
By W.A. Sunil, 13 February 2019
The unions’ betrayal of protracted industrial and political action has cleared the way for further attacks on workers by the plantation companies.
“It is necessary to base our struggle not on one company or on one nation, but by mobilizing the workers of the world”
Maruti Suzuki workers in India send greetings to February 9 protest
12 February 2019
Jitender Dhankar, a member of the provisional committee of the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) in India, sent a message of solidarity to the workers and young people who participated in the February 9 demonstration against the factory closures and mass layoffs by General Motors.
The way forward to win wages and social rights
Workers Action Committee in Sri Lanka calls plantation workers’ conference
By the Abbotsleigh Estate Workers Action Committee, 12 February 2019
The conference will discuss the lessons of the recent plantation workers’ struggle and the political strategy needed to win their demands.
Chinese authorities extract forced confessions from student activists
By Navin Dewage, 11 February 2019
The crackdown reflects the fear in the Chinese ruling circles of a political movement of the working class for social and democratic rights that challenges the government itself.
Sri Lankan president’s Independence Day speech exposes deep crisis of rule
By Vijith Samarasinghe, 9 February 2019
Sirisena bemoaned the failure of successive governments but offered no solution, amid ongoing infighting in ruling circles and mounting opposition by working people to the worsening social crisis.
New York Times admission of Afghanistan fiasco provokes “human rights imperialist” backlash
By Bill Van Auken, 9 February 2019
The Times editorial supporting a US withdrawal from Afghanistan is a self-damning indictment of the entire “war on terror,” which the newspaper supported for the better part of two decades.
Over 200,000 Uttar Pradesh government employees strike; Bangladesh garment workers occupy factory; New Caledonia miners still on strike
Workers Struggles: Asia, Australia and the Pacific
9 February 2019
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature.
Over 7,000 Bangladesh garment workers sacked after wage protests
By Wimal Perera, 8 February 2019
While the garment trade unions publicly bewail the mass sackings and arrests, these organisations have created the political conditions for the crackdown.
US-backed campaign for UN inquiry into China’s treatment of Uyghurs
By Peter Symonds, 7 February 2019
While the Beijing regime is undoubtedly engaged in repressive activities in Xinjiang, the US has cynically seized on the issue as part of its aggressive campaign on all fronts to pressure, weaken and undermine China.
Sri Lankan SEP public meetings to launch Tamil edition of The Russian Revolution and the Unfinished Twentieth Century
7 February 2019
The book is critical in exposing the many lies perpetrated about the Russian Revolution in 1917 and the subsequent degeneration of the Soviet Union.
India and the Maldives strengthen military ties
By Rohantha De Silva, 5 February 2019
In a clear jab against China, the two countries agreed not to allow their territories to “be used for any activity that is hostile to each other’s interest.”
Sri Lanka: 16 families homeless after fire at Bogawantalawa tea plantation
By A. Suresh and M. Thevarajah, 4 February 2019
The disaster again highlights the difficult and dangerous conditions facing Sri Lankan plantation workers and their families.
No deal reached at US-China trade meeting
By Nick Beams, 2 February 2019
A statement issued by the White House at the conclusion of the discussions said Trump had reiterated that the US will increase tariffs unless an outcome is reached.
India: Unions betray Tamil Nadu teachers’ and government workers’ strike
By Arun Kumar, 1 February 2019
The unions have cynically claimed that the shutdown of all industrial action is “temporary.”
Australian political and media establishment intensifies anti-China campaign
By Oscar Grenfell, 31 January 2019
A coordinated political offensive is underway, aimed at legitimising Australia’s central role in the US confrontation with Beijing.
IMF to resume Sri Lankan loan program discussions
By Saman Gunadasa, 31 January 2019
The Sri Lankan government has assured the IMF of its commitment to “strong” austerity measures.
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