(Kandy) Sri Lanka imposed a curfew Monday in a central hill station
town popular with tourists after days of communal unrest that saw a man killed
and Muslim businesses set alight.
Mobs set fire to Muslim owned businesses and attacked a mosque in the east of the country last week after a Muslim chef was accused of adding contraceptives to food sold to Sinhalese. The government dismissed the allegation as baseless and ordered the arrest of those fomenting unrest in the area. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also ordered an investigation into alleged police inaction in handling the clash.
Police have now been placed on alert in Kandy, home to famous tea plantations and Buddhist relics, to ensure that the “situation does not spiral into inter communal conflagration,” the government said.
“The government appeals to all parties and especially the general public to act with responsibility and remain calm,” it said in a statement.
