Brian Senewiratne: "I have been a strong supporter of the left in my native Sri Lanka since I was 16 years old. I am now 76, and remain convinced, even more so, that it is the capitalist policies, first under the colonial British and later the Brown Sahibs of my ethnic group, the Sinhalese, that have taken that country to its condition of failing state.
"It would have been a failed state had it not been propped up by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It is now veering into a fascist dictatorship, supported by Australia, as evidenced by the charges against Tamil activists in this country.
"I am not a Tamil but I have strongly supported the cause of the Tamil people to live with equality, dignity and safety in the country of their birth.
"We now need to mobilise the working class here in supporting the working class (of all ethnic groups) in Sri Lanka. They are paying the price for the unnecessary and highly destructive war in that country, as scarce resources are diverted to massive military expenditure for the Sri Lankan government to crush its own people.
"Needless to say, I cannot return to the 'Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka' and hope to get out alive! So much for democracy."
[Senewiratne has recently released four DVDs documenting the brutality of the Sri Lankan government. To order, phone Brisbane Socialist Alliance on (07) 3831 2644.]