Wikileaks party fields 2 Indian-origin candidates in Australia

MELBOURNE: Two Indian-origin persons are among the seven candidates who will contest elections on a Wikileaks Party ticket in Senate polls in Australia.


The party, launched by the whistleblowing website's founder Julian Assange via a videolink from London today, will also field him as a candidate from Victoria.

Indian-origin academician Binoy Kampmark, who was born in Malaysia and has Bengali heritage will stand for the upper house election from Victoria. Also, Suresh Rajan, whose family has roots in Kerala will be party's candidate from Western Australia.

Assange, the 42-year-old Australian, made the announcement from the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has been holed-up for more than a year. According to party spokesperson Samantha Cross, Assange stressed that the party "would keep the politicians honest".

"He talked about wanting to be back in Australia to take up his seat. He was hopeful that that would occur," she said.

The Wikileaks founder also announced that one of party's first actions would be to demand full details of the government's asylum seeker arrangement with Papua New Guinea be made public, news agency Australian Associated Press said.