Three SEP candidates in Jaffna threatened

The fallout of the militarization process on some of the candidates in Jaffna contesting the general election under the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) was evident when some persons claiming to belong to military intelligence had forced three SEP candidates and their family members to provide personal information, SEP General Secretary Wije Dias, told a news conference yesterday.

“We filed a complaint to Defense Secretary Kamal Gunaratne. It has been two weeks since the letter was sent to him. We have not received any reply yet,” he said. “Though President Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised a disciplined society and a development economy before he came to power, he has been unable to keep the promises he made. Further it has become evident that many democratic rights of the people are suppressed and we are experiencing a government which is getting militarized."

Mr. Dias said the intention behind the intervention as a party was to stand against the capitalist system and those duplicate leftist movements and parties. “In this context we intend to build an independent political movement comprising the working class while strengthening those pursuits. (Nishantha Hewage)