9 years ago
Sri Lanka today declared nation-wide emergency for 10 days following clashes between the majority Buddhists and members of the minority Muslim community. The latest unrest began on Sunday in Sri Lanka's central district of Kandy, after the funeral of a Buddhist truck driver, who died days after he was involved in an altercation with four Muslims, a government spokesperson said. The government sent troops and elite police to the area and curfew was imposed in Kandy. The government said some people were trying to instigate communal violence via social media and warned stern action against them.
Tensions between the Buddhists and Muslims have been growing over the past year with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites. Some Buddhist nationalists also protest against the presence of asylum-seeking Rohingya Muslims in Sri Lanka from Myanmar. Sinhalese Buddhists make up for 70 per cent of Sri Lanka's population of 21 million while Muslims comprise of 9 per cent.
Tensions between the Buddhists and Muslims have been growing over the past year with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites. Some Buddhist nationalists also protest against the presence of asylum-seeking Rohingya Muslims in Sri Lanka from Myanmar. Sinhalese Buddhists make up for 70 per cent of Sri Lanka's population of 21 million while Muslims comprise of 9 per cent.
