Colombo [Sri Lanka]: Despite declaring 10-day emergency in Sri Lanka on Tuesday violent clashes continues to break out between majority Sinhalese Buddhists and minority Muslims in the country’s central Kandy district that left several persons dead.
According to a report, around 10 mosques, 75 shops and 32 houses belonging to the minority community were badly damaged in the attacks by the Sinhalese Buddhists, forcing police to fire tear gas shells and impose an overnight curfew to prevent clashes between the two communities. The meassure comes after a local curfew was imposed on Monday in a central hill station town.
Sri Lanka govt blocks social media
Sri Lanka on Wednesday blocked popular social media networks, such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Viber and Instagram to name a few, for three days in order to prevent the spread of communal violence across the country.
https://twitter.com/YoursInIslam/status/971252911174049798
“The social media in the country is now being filtered as requested by the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry, so as to prevent transmitting fake news or rumours that instill a fear psychosis or a threat to communal harmony”, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said in a statement.
According to local media reports, users will not be able to access popular social media networks in Kandy district, the centre of violence, and other places across the country.
https://twitter.com/muizbofficial/status/971337918491983875
The Sri Lankan Government earlier on Tuesday imposed a state of emergency for 10 days to control law and order in the country to quell the anti-Muslim riots.
https://twitter.com/StaunchInsafian/status/971421627257966592
A curfew was reimposed on Monday in two police divisions of Kandy district till Wednesday, following the tense situation that claimed two lives. More than two dozen arrests have been made so far in this regard.
https://twitter.com/YoursInIslam/status/971252911174049798
Members of the Buddhist community held a protest outside a police station in Kandy, demanding the release of its people who were arrested in the riots.
The police said that the special security arrangements, put in place in the areas, would continue and the country’s Special Task Force (STF) were deployed to maintain peace.
Siasat Web Team