By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 22 December 2013:
In the wake of yesterday’s loss of internet connection to most parts of Libya, service was . . .[restrict]resumed today after the Ministry of Communications activated its “emergency plan”. Meanwhile armed raiders smashed up the car of one of a team that tried to negotiate with them.
An alternative plan has been used to cover the forced internet shut down following the storming of both the Libyana and Libya Telecom and Technology (LTT) headquarters by protesters, Libya Herald has been informed.
Deputy Communications Minister Mohammed Belras Ali, told the Libya Herald today that the protesters had prevented Libyana and LTT employees from entering the headquarters and doing their jobs this morning.
Ali said that the Ministry had decided to use the “emergency line”, which was developed after the liberation of Tripoli to feed the network through an alternative route. He would not elaborate on this “emergency line”.
He said that the internet is now working at only 60 percent of its full capacity.
This morning, LTT released a statement saying that about 150 protesters were still occupying the headquarter of the company and that they were armed with various kinds of knives which they had used to force engineers to shut down all of Libya’s internet system.
When a team including Ali, the LTT human resources director and some members of the ministry tried to negotiate with the raiders and understand their demands, the protestors reacted by smashing the human resources director’s car. No one was apparently hurt.
LTT pointed out that the protesters’ violent response to attempted negotiations was clear evidence that they had no intention in engaging in dialogue.
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