Colombo:
Trade unions manning Sri Lanka's main port have threatened to block about $2 billion worth of imports and exports to the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, media reports said in Colombo on Wednesday.
The pro-government trade union coalition named the "Organization for Protecting Harbor Solidarity" has held a protest campaign in front of the main gate of Colombo harbour, reported Xinhua.
Convener Sanjaya Kumara Weligama told media that the protest was a warning to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa and other politicians who in recent weeks have attempted to push the Indian government into taking a tough stance on the Sri Lankan government's human rights record.
It is estimated that around 40 per cent of the $5 billion trade between Sri Lanka and India passes through Tamil Nadu.