Dozens of unidentified men pelted stones at the headquarters of a private television station sympathetic to the opposition United National Party (UNP) in
Officials at the MTV channel said they suspected the attack on Monday March 22 was politically motivated ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.
"We have arrested 16 people who were involved in the stone-throwing incident," a police official outside the MTV premises in
He said several staff members were wounded while windows in the building were broken. Several cars had their windshields shattered.
Unidentified attackers torched the studios of MTV in January last year and the authorities are yet to bring the perpetrators to justice. The station is widely seen as pro-opposition, but the network insists it is independent.
Justice Minister Milinda Moragoda rushed to the MTV office shortly after Monday's attack and promised to investigate.
"Whoever has done this will be brought to justice," the minister told reporters.
The latest attack came as Sri Lankan and foreign media rights groups accused the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa of cracking down on dissent, a charge the government has denied.
