THREE leaders of Sri Lanka's New Sama Samaja Party (NSSP) have been detained by police in connection with an arms cache police claim to have discovered in a building occupied by a Health Workers Trade NSSP General Secretary Vickramabahu Karunarathne has been released on bail, and will appear in court on 9 June, in connection with the alleged discovery of 32 weapons in the building of the Health Workers Co--operative Society.
Police have still not released Ajith Forseka, President of the co-operative society, and P.D. Saranapala, General Secretary of the Janaraja Health Workers Union, which has offices in the same building.
Both men are members of the NSSP central committee, though the workers centre is open to health workers of all political persuasions.
In a statement after his release on bail, Karunaratane sucasco that the NssP "Categon cally denies" all allegations against its members. "Reactionary forces are trying to implicate the NSSP in a conspiracy to use concealed weap. ons." he said. "By these lies they hope to discredit worker struggle against price increases, the genocidal war (against the Tamils) repression and privatisation.
"Their other aim is to proscribe the NSSP," B. Skanthakumar The continued. democratic initiative of the masses." vinist section of the JVP. Party trade union leader was also killed. According of the Chandrika government. portunity for good television foot"Yes, our party defends the right of the masses to nse up arainst this untust capitalist system But we have always disassociated ourselves from individual terrorism and intimidation as methods of revolution. Such tactics actually under: mine the active movement, and sap lac In 1989 the UNP government issued arms to the NSSP, and other components of the United So one accee themselves grainst the Deshapriya Janatha Viraparaya (Patriotic Peoples Movement), a chauAt least 24 NSSP members were murdered by DVP chauvinists. Trade union centres were also issued with arms, after a leading Communist to an carlier NSSP press statement, "The NSSP returned all its arms when the 333703) вотстаса осталосо tci, It nas not giveh arms to the Health Workers union centre, and is therefore not responsible for this arms discov The arrest of Bahu Karunarathne, NSSP General Secretary, is definitely a political conspiracy to isolate the NSSP because of its resolute opposition to the privatisation programme try to expunge the memory of his The NSSP is also a clear opponent of the war against the Tamil poople. Bahu Karunarathne ha been identified as a determined opponent of the government's policies.
Since his clection to the Colombo Municipal Council he has become a very popular mass leader.
The NSSP asks friends and comrades abroad to send messages demand. ing the release of Ajith Forseka and P.D. Sarana.
dropping of charges against Vickramabahu Karunarathne to:
Her Excellency the President, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kunaratunge, Presidential Secre tariat, Colombo 01, Sri Lanka. (fax +94-1and The Secretary, Ministry of Defence (fax 94-1-54-1529) Please send a copy of your protests to the NSSP at fax +94-1-334822. Donations to the legal fund should be sent to United Federation of Labour, A/C 16 500 599 62, Peoples Bank, Union Place, Colombo 02, Sri Lanka Tokyo workers on a May Day aemonstration. eisennere, overe marched in Mexico City and 1.3 THE GIANT Kaiser Permanente corporation, which runs hospitals and healthcare services across the USA, Is locked in an increasingly bitter struggle with nursing unions over hospital cuts and closures, Job losses and pay cuts.