Sure COLOMBO, “Jan. 25 — i emis total stvike of bus workars is on. The .overrment, dstormined to break the strike, has manned a skeleton sorvica with foreman, military drivers and a fow scabs. The strike is led by union laaders who bzlohg to the Lanka Sa ma Samaja party, The Communist party and ths MiP (United Popular Front). ‘orkers belonging to the Sri Lanka Freedom party (the left—bourgsocis party) joined the strika almost to a man althouzh their union leadsors are oppessd to ths atrilke.
Javid %. Bell, administrator of the U.S. “Agency of Inter national Development" announcad February 6 that the U.S. government had decided to suspend current aid to Ceylen. A grant of $800,000 and a development loan of more than 3,000,000 are involved for the fiscal year of 1963. The decision was made because the Ceylon government, accordiny;; to Bell, did not take “appropriats stops" to insure “prompt paymant" for 83 servicsa stations belonging to iss0 Standard and Caltex which it nationalized in 1952. =
Junt in case the Ceylon @svermont did'ntgot the import of Bell's messacs, ss30 Standard issued a statement to the press in New York expressing the “hope" that the suspension of Amarican aid “will encouraze the government of Csylon to quickly pay equitable indemnities for the expropriated propartiss." The Ceylonese government has stated its readiness to pay the oil outfits and has sought to nogotiate a settlsmsnt, Then the news came of Uncle Sam's hizhpressure effort to collsct the bill claimed by the o11 Kins, tae cabinst went into emergency session.
The Ceylon govarnmont then issued a communiquo stating that it had learned that reliance on foreign aid could antail some surrendering of its own internal freedom of action, It called off nagotiations with the two imerican companies and asked its citizens to rely on the country's own resources, The &3 service stations ramain nationalized, Ths incident points up once again a basic contradiction which Washington faces. It woos ths colonial bourgeoisie with hand-outs in the nowly independent countrias. But how do you do that and still kasp companies like @ss0 Standard and Jaltex in good humor? —~, Les ers CALLS FOR NATIONALIGATION OF ALL IMPORTS,
"The Samajist",organ of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in an editorial accused tha 73 a of bringing pressure on underdeveloped countries to prevent the nationalisation of concerns in the public interest. It said: "Everyone in the country except pro-imperialist capitalists will copposa the effort of U.S. Imperialists in trying to pressurise independent countries like Ceylon." I+ called upon the Ceylon govenusnt to take over all imports and the distribution of oil to protect the freedom of the country from imperialists. (From New China Mews Agency).
The Communist Party, the LankeSamaSanaja Party and the People's United Front have announced a united rally to be cOavened in protest against the United States interference.
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