The Canadian government said it was deeply concerned by the recent inter-communal violence in Sri Lanka and urged all sides to engage in inclusive dialogue and exercise restraint to ensure peace and stability.

In accordance with the people’s request to remove the curfew for a short period to attend their essential activities including purchasing of food and other items, President Maithripala Sirisena has decided to remove the curfew from 10 a.m. and re-impose at 6 p.m. in the Kandy District, the Department of Government Information announced today.

Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara was sworn in as the Minister of Law and Order before President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat a short while ago.

President Maithripala Sirisena held a special meeting at President’s House in Kandy to discuss the current situation in the Kandy district.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe delivering a special statement on the situation in Kandy yesterday said the Security Forces Chiefs and the Police have been instructed to take prompt action against acts of sabotage and be prepared to control any kind of unrest.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday warned that some sinister forces, bent on destabilising the country, were trying to engineer another 1983 style conflagration to drum up international support for their constitutional reforms, aimed at dividing the country into several semi-independent states.

Facebook, Viber, WhatsApp and all other social media networks have been temporary blocked in the country considering the current situation, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) of Sri Lanka has instructed internet service providers to restrain internet access in the Kandy District.

The US Embassy in Colombo has called on the Government of Sri Lanka to act quickly against perpetrators of sectarian violence, protect religious minorities and their places of worship, and swiftly conclude the State of Emergency.

In the wake of the Teldeniya incident, the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) has requested the people to remain calm and stop the prevailing violence.

A team of investigators from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was dispatched to Digana yesterday, to take stock of the prevailing situation and damage to property following Monday’s flare up that left one dead.

Sri Lanka declared a nationwide state of emergency for 10 days on Tuesday to stop the spread of communal violence, a government spokesman said, after clashes erupted between majority Buddhists and members of the minority Muslim community.

A decision was reached during the Cabinet Meeting held today to declare a State of Emergency in the country for a period of 10 days, Minister S.B. Dissanayake said.

Troops moved into Digana, Kandy yesterday afternoon when the police failed to bring a tense situation there under control. Police curfew was imposed in the Kandy administrative District until 6.00 am today.

President Maithripala Sirisena had directed the police and security sector to hold an unbiased, independent investigation into incidents at Digana Kandy today.

Police used teargas to disperse two groups of people who clashed in Digana over a death of a 41-year-old man.