Sri Lanka ends state of emergency as tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in Kandy subside
President declared a state of emergency to rein in the spread of communal violence after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the Indian Ocean island’s central district of Kandy
Sri Lanka’s president announced Sunday he was lifting a nationwide state of emergency imposed 12 days ago to quell anti-Muslim riots in which three people died and hundreds of shops were destroyed.
Maithripala Sirisena said improvements in the security situation prompted him to end the emergency, under which security forces and the police had sweeping powers to detain suspects.
“Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the state of emergency from midnight yesterday,” Sirisena said on Twitter as he returned to the island after a tour of Japan.
Much of the anti-Muslim violence was concentrated in the central district of Kandy, 115 kilometres (72 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo.
Police said the situation in the picturesque hill resort has returned to normal. Security forces have been deployed to help rebuild damaged homes and businesses, officials said.
Over 300 people have been arrested in connection with the riots, and they have been remanded in custody till the end of this month.
