The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE) in Sri Lanka will hold a final election public meeting on April 21 after a month-long campaign for the Colombo district in the Western Provincial Council election.

The provincial election is being held as the military attacks the last strip of land held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Hundreds of thousands of people are trapped and hundreds have been killed already. As it pursues its criminal war in the North, the government is exploiting the conflict to impose new economic burdens on working people.

Desperate for money, the government is negotiating a loan with the IMF and has already implemented drastic austerity measures, including new taxes, the freezing of public sector wages and recruitment, and a green light to employers for mass layoffs. President Mahinda Rajapakse will not hesitate to use police-state methods against any opposition to his policies.

The burning question facing workers and young people is the need for an alternative. How is it possible to end the war, defend democratic rights and improve living standards? The SEP is the only party fighting for an international socialist program to deal with the crisis created by capitalism.

We urge workers, youth and intellectuals to attend our meeting to discuss these vital issues.

Main speaker: Wije Dias, SEP general secretary
Venue: Public Library Auditorium, Colombo 7
Date: April 21, 4 p.m.