Hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers and police swoop in on unarmed activists blocking Presidential Secretariat in the capital after new President Ranil Wickremesinghe is sworn in.
Several activists were seized by troops who smashed tents set up along the main road leading to the presidential office. (AP)
Hundreds of Sri Lankan soldiers and police have raided the main anti-government protest camp in the country’s capital and started tearing down tents of unarmed activists, an AFP news agency reporter said.
Security forces swooped in on the protesters blocking the Presidential Secretariat in the capital early on Friday before they were due to vacate the area.
Security personnel armed with batons began removing barricades set up by protesters blocking the main gate of the secretariat they had partly overrun earlier this month.
Activists had announced that they planned to vacate the area by Friday afternoon after a cabinet was sworn in by new the president, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Witnesses saw soldiers surrounding the sea-front office and removing several temporary structures set up in the area to provide logistics for thousands of anti-government protesters since April.
Source: AFP
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