COLOMBO, Aug 14: Sri Lanka was thrown into panic and chaos with thousands of workers attached to the main oil installation and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation continuing a work stoppage for the second consecutive day , temporarily called off late on Saturday, but with no assurance that the work will continue without any interruption.

The strike began on Friday at a peak time amid the news that the government was set to sign a privatisation deal with an Indian oil company.

Ministers kept their phones switched off to avoid the media as hapless drivers waited in queues at petrol stations, winding round the streets of Colombo and the suburbs and transport halted to a standstill.

"We are not sure if we have enough of fuel to deliver our newspapers tomorrow, if there is no confirmed settlement to the crisis", the CEO of a leading Sunday newspaper in Colombo said, although unofficial reports from the trade unions at the time of filing of the report stated that the strike 'would be' called off during the night.