Sri Lankan troops tear down protest camp outside the President's office

Sri Lanka's police and military troops forcibly removed anti-government protesters camped outside the presidential office in Colombo in a pre-dawn raid on Friday on the order of the country's new President.

Social media posts showed officers dressed in riot gear pulling down protest tents and arresting demonstrators outside the presidential offices at Galle Face, two days after the crisis-hit country swore in a new leader.

Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was officially sworn in as the country's President on Wednesday and issued a "Gazette Extraordinary" calling on the armed forces to maintain public order.