Sri Lankan state TV employees on work stoppage

The employees of Sri Lanka's state television Rupavahini said Friday that they have stopped work after one of their colleagues was attacked Friday morning on his way to work.

Anurasiri Hettige, an assistant director and the president of the staff union, was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital with neck cuts, the hospital Director Hector Weerasinghe said.

Hettige became the fifth Rupavahini employee to be under attack since Dec. 27, 2007 when Deputy Minister of Labor Mervyn Silva stormed the television station premises to attack a news editor.

The irate employees assaulted Silva leaving him in hospital following his attacks on the news editor.

Reports said that Silva attacked the news editor because the state television failed to broadcast his speech.

The employees alleged that Silva's men were responsible for all five attacks against their colleagues.

They said that the station transmission will carry on as usual despite the work stoppage but with pre-recorded programs.

Source: xinhuanet.com