COLOMBO, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The employees of Sri Lanka's state television Rupavahini claimed on Monday that the authorities had shut them out of work.

    They had given notice on Friday that they would be staging a demonstration on Monday to protest continued goon attacks against their colleagues.

    "We were not allowed to enter the station this morning and told that a special holiday had been declared. But they have taken a few selected employees inside to work," Kanchana Marasinghe, an employee union spokesman said.

    The employees later staged a sit-in-protest at the Independence Square nearby and the police riot squad with water cannon were placed to quell a possible clash.

    On Friday Anurasiri Hettige, an Assistant Director and the president of the staff union became the fifth employee to be attacked by goons. He was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital with neck cuts.

    Marasinghe said the employees also forwarded a letter with five demands to President Mahinda Rajapakse.

    One of them was demanding presidential action to strip Deputy Minister of Labor Mervyn Silva's ministerial position.

    Silva had been involving the series of incidents since he stormed the television station premises to attack the news editor on Dec. 27, 2007.

    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 a speech made by the deputy minister.

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