COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Angry protesters halted trains and clashed with policemen in Sri Lanka`s capital Friday as authorities began demolishing their homes citing security reasons ahead of a South Asian leaders` summit starting later this month.
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Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekara said the homes had encroached on government lands and occupants were given enough time to find other homes.

But opposition lawmaker Ravi Karunanayake said officials were demolishing the homes in violation of a Supreme Court stay order but were forced to stop because of people`s protest.

They managed to destroy about 80 homes out of 650 planned to be bulldozed, he said.

Police used tear gas to disperse the protesters who pelted stones and placed logs across nearby rail road halting train transport for few hours.

South Asian Association for Region Co-operation or SAARC summit is scheduled to begin in Colombo on July 27 and the government says that it wants to ensure maximum security for visiting heads of states and officials.

Sri Lanka is fighting a 25-year civil war against Tamil Tiger rebels who want to carve out an independent state for ethnic minority Tamils in the island`s north and east.

More than 70,000 people have been killed in the violence.