7 injured in police-protestors clash in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Some seven people including three policemen were injured as police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse a street demonstration in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo on Wednesday, police sources said.

The unemployed graduates association tried to broke police barriers in order to storm into Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse's office in the central Colombo area of Kollupitiya.

The protestors toppled steel barricades and became unruly, resulting in the police using tear gas and water cannon.

At least four protestors were injured and rushed to hospital for treatment.

The unemployed graduates union backed by the opposition JVP or the People's Liberation Front is demanding jobs.

Jobs for graduates were a major election issue in last parliamentary election in 2004.

The government says 42,000 of them have been given state sector jobs since 2005.