Sri Lanka, April 9 -- A tense situation was reported at a privately-owned apparel factory in Udukawa, Weligama last night (April 8), after employees staged a protest against the management's decision to withhold the Sinhala and Tamil New Year bonus.

The unrest began as the manager of the factory was held hostage in his office by disgruntled workers, following his announcement that the company could not afford to pay the annual bonus due to the steep tariffs recently imposed by the United States on Sri Lankan exports.

According to sources, the corporate's governing authority had informed employees last morning that the bonus payments will not be disbursed this year. This triggered a heated verbal altercation between the factory managemen...