Lift the Emergency and abolish the PTA now!
Release Tissainayagam and all political prisoners now!

The government resorts to repression using emergency regulations and prevention of terrorism act. The PTA is being used to silence the truth. The media, the intellectuals, artistes, political activists and HR activists are all attacked using these powers. Many are killed and some are in prison. The police, the courts and administration are politicized by abolishing the respective commissions. The opposition also has helped this repression by not opposing the emergency and use of the PTA. The twenty year imprisonment meted out to journalist Tissainayagam is a good example of the prevailing situation. Let us demand immediate release of Tissainayagam.

 

We demand the release of IDPs immediately!

It is a complete violation of human rights to keep the displaced people by force. Many, who are being kept, are capable of finding a place to live. Even those who are without a place to go should be treated as free citizens and be provided with food and shelter by the state. The excuses given by the government are nonsensical. The Government may be keeping them to seek international help or to use them for an election fraud. In the long run, there is the agenda of the global capital. That is to rob the IDPs of their natural resources, and then to convert them to regimented cheap labour for global capitalist investments.

Let us demand political solution for the North & East!

Abolish executive presidency!  

Appoint Independent Commissions!

Full political freedom must be granted to the oppressed Tamil people to determine their own destiny. And we demand a political solution that must go beyond 13th Amendment. Authoritarian powers of Executive Presidency are most disastrous for democratic politics in Sri Lanka. Then we demand a democratic constitution to devolve power and abolish the Executive Presidency.

The time is opportune for higher wages. Higher wages now!

It is not possible for anybody, to survive in the context of present day wages. The wages of plantation workers, state and state corporations, free trade zones and other workers, are held down by the government. A plantation family could hardly live with a wage of even Rs.500 per day. They should be paid either Rs 500 or in the alternative land should be given to plantation workers. They should be assisted to develop land as small holdings in a new 'green, sharing system'.


The obsolete company system should be done away with. On the other hand, the salaries of state, corporation and co-op workers should be increased in accordance with the Cost of Living Index. The minimum payment should be Rs 15,000 per month. This should be enforced in the private sector too.

Bring down the prices now!

The government has failed to control inflation. In particular essential goods, medicine and infant food are expensive. Such items are almost inaccessible to the poor. The ministers say that they cannot control the free market. Thereby, they have put the masses at the mercy of racketeers and speculators. Not even in America, a free reign of this nature is given to mass exploiters. The state must intervene to change this unbearable situation.