Image copyright AFP Image caption The violence left hundreds of Muslim-owned businesses and homes damaged

Sri Lanka has lifted a state of emergency imposed on 6 March in response to an outbreak of violence against Muslim communities.

Two people were killed, nearly 450 Muslim-owned homes and shops damaged and 60 vehicles burnt in attacks in the central district of Kandy.

Curfews and social media bans were brought in to try and quell tension.

Violence has risen in the Buddhist-majority country since 2012, said to be fuelled by hard-line Buddhist groups.

They have accused Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites. Dozens of Muslim religious sites have also been damaged.

Police have so far arrested almost 300 people, including a hardline Buddhist organisation leader they suspect of inciting the violence.

Under the state of emergency, Sri Lankan authorities were able to arrest and detain suspects for long periods if they deemed it necessary.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Police commandos patrolled the streets following the anti-Muslim riots broke out

Hundreds of troops were deployed to the Kandy area, and tear gas was used after some groups continued to defy government curfews.

President Maithripala Sirisena announced he was lifting the measure on Sunday on his Twitter feed, having assessed public safety.

Nationwide bans on social media websites including Facebook were also lifted earlier this week.

It was the first time in seven years Sri Lanka had imposed a state of emergency.

The country was under the measure for nearly three decades when the government fought Tamil rebels in the civil war that ended in 2009.</s>The following content is sourced from external partners. We cannot guarantee that it is suitable for the visually or hearing impaired.

This content was published on March 18, 2018 4:01 AM

FILE PHOTO: Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena listens to a speech during a Parliament session marking the 70th anniversary of Sri Lanka's Government, in Colombo, Sri Lanka October 3, 2017. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte - RC16B0609150

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday he had lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed on March 6 after Buddhist-Muslim clashes.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Sirisena said on his Twitter feed.

He 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.

Two people were killed and hundreds of Muslim-owned properties and more than 20 mosques were damaged, media reported.

Tension has been growing between the two communities 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 have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.</s>The Sri Lankan president said Saturday that the security situation had sufficiently improved in the central district of Kandy, 115 kilometers (72 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Maithripala Sirisena wrote on Twitter.

Sirisena declared a state of emergency on March 6 to quell anti-Muslim violence, in which three people were killed and hundreds of shops were vandalized.

It was the first time the country declared a state of emergency since the end of decades-long Tamil separatist war in 2009.

Communal violence broke out in Kandy after a Sinhalese man, who had been attacked by a Muslim mob, died in hospital.

In response, rioters attacked several Muslim homes, shops and mosques in the area.

After police were unable to rein in the spread of violence, President Sirisena declared a state of emergency, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest suspects.

Over 300 people have been taken into custody since the March 6 riots.

In the past few years, communal tensions have flared in Sri Lanka, a majority Buddhist country. Some 75 percent of the country's 21 million strong population are Sinhalese Buddhists, whereas around 10 percent are Muslim.

Hardline Buddhist groups accuse Muslims of attacking their religious sites and forcing Sinhalese people to convert to Islam.

The influx of Rohingya Muslim refugees from neighboring Myanmar has also added to the Buddhist resentment of Muslims in Sri Lanka.

"Criticisms of Muslims as gaining greater economic power through unfair means have particular resonance with Sinhalese facing economic difficulties, as the government struggles to control the cost of living and provide sustainable livelihoods, especially in rural areas and small towns," Alan Keenan, Sri Lanka analyst at the International Crisis Group, told DW.

While the South Asian country's parliament issued an apology to Muslims after the riots, Keenan believes Colombo has "done very little to address either the underlying mistrust or misunderstandings between the two communities, or to rein in the small number of Buddhists who promote or use violence."

"While the state of emergency appears to have helped reduce the violence, attacks have continued," Keenan continued. "The government needs to adopt a three-pronged strategy, beginning with enforcing the law, including against hate speech, and arresting and prosecuting offenders."</s>Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday he had lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed on March 6 after anti-Muslim rioting.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Sirisena said on his Twitter feed, as reported by Reuters. He 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. It was the first time in seven years Sri Lanka has resorted to such a measure. The island nation was under a state of emergency for nearly three decades as government forces battled Tamil rebels in a civil war that ended in 2009.

Two people were killed and hundreds of Muslim-owned properties and more than 20 mosques were damaged, media reported. Police said two dozen people had been arrested in the wake of the riots. The emergency measures, imposed for the first time since 2011, give authorities sweeping powers to arrest and detain suspects for long periods and deploy forces where needed.

President Maithripala Sirisena said the measures would "redress the unsatisfactory security situation prevailing in certain parts of the country."

Sri Lanka's parliament issued an apology to its Muslim minority, which constitutes 10 percent of the country's population of 21 million. Tensions have grown between the two communities over the past year. Some Buddhist nationalists have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.</s>Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena has lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed earlier this month after Buddhist-Muslim clashes.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Mr Sirisena said on Twitter on Sunday.

He 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 on March 6, 2018.

Two people were killed and hundreds of Muslim-owned properties and more than 20 mosques were damaged, media reported.

Tension has been growing between the two communities over the past year, with some Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites.

Some Buddhist nationalists have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.

Lifting the state of emergency comes after Sri Lanka's Government on Thursday ended a ban on social media that was imposed because of concerns that it was being used to fan anti-Muslim violence in the country's central region.

Mr Sirisena ordered an immediate lifting of a ban on Facebook after his secretary met with company representatives.

He said they pledged they would not allow the service to be used to incite disharmony.

Soon afterward, Sri Lankans were able to use Facebook.

Viber and Whatsapp have also been unblocked.</s>Sri Lanka's President on Sunday lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed on March 6 for the first time since the civil war following days of communal violence between majority Sinhala Buddhists and minority Muslims in the country.

President Sirisena, who returned to Sri Lanka last night from an official visit to India and Japan, removed the state of emergency as the situation in the country returned to normal.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday, he twitted on Sunday.

The government imposed a state of emergency on March 6 and blocked Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media sites following anti-Muslim violence in the island's central hills Kandy and Ampara districts in which three people were killed and hundreds of Muslim-owned properties, including mosques, were damaged.

Facing flak from the Opposition for not lifting the blockage on social media despite improvement in the situation, the government lifted the ban on Facebook on March 15 after officials from the US social media giant agreed to step up efforts to remove hate speech posted on its platform during the anti-Muslim violence.

The communal violence was triggered by the death of a Sinhalese man at the hands of a mob.

The government had deployed thousands of troops to restore peace and protect the minority Muslims and their property.

"The President decided to revoke the order in view of the improved security situation," a presidential official said.

The police arrested more than 200 people for violence against Muslims.

It was the first time in seven years Sri Lanka had imposed the measure. The country was under a state of emergency for nearly three decades when the government fought Tamil rebels LTTE in the civil war that ended in 2009.

Violence has risen in the Buddhist-majority country since 2012, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites.</s>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.

The state emergency also allowed Sirisena to call in the military after police initially failed to control the riots that spread to several suburbs of Kandy. There were a few isolated incidents elsewhere on the island too.

The unrest started after a Sinhalese man beaten up by four Muslim men in a road rage incident died at a hospital in Kandy earlier this month. The following day, Sinhalese mobs set fire to Muslim-owned homes and businesses.

The body of a 24-year-old Muslim man was pulled out of a burnt home, raising tensions further. The next day, a Sinhalese man died when a hand grenade he was carrying exploded before he could attack a mosque.

This was the first state of emergency imposed in Sri Lanka since the end of a decades-long Tamil separatist war in 2009.

Sri Lanka’s parliament issued an apology to its Muslim minority, which constitutes 10 per cent of the country’s population of 21 million. Sinhalese account for about three quarters of the population.

Last November, riots between the Muslims and the Sinhalese – who are largely Buddhist – in the south of the island left one man dead and homes and vehicles damaged.</s>Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday he had lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed on March 6 after Buddhist-Muslim clashes.

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday he had lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed on March 6 after Buddhist-Muslim clashes.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Sirisena said on his Twitter feed.

He 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.

Two people were killed and hundreds of Muslim-owned properties and more than 20 mosques were damaged, media reported.

Tension has been growing between the two communities 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 have also protested against the presence in Sri Lanka of Muslim Rohingya asylum-seekers from mostly Buddhist Myanmar, where Buddhist nationalism has also been on the rise.</s>Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena has lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed after Buddhist-Muslim clashes.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Sirisena said on his Twitter feed on Sunday.

He declared a state of emergency on March 6 to rein in the spread of communal violence after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the Indian Ocean island's central district of Kandy.

Two people were killed and hundreds of Muslim-owned properties and more than 20 mosques were damaged, media reported.

Tension has been growing between the two communities over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites.</s>"The state of emergency declared on March 06, 2018 according to the instructions given by President Maithripala Sirisena has been lifted," a statement on the presidential website said.

Sirisena signed the notification following his state visit to Japan.

"Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday," Sirisena wrote on Twitter on Sunday.

READ MORE: Almost 30 People Injured in Bus Explosion in Central Sri Lanka — Reports

The previous state of emergency, which had been in place in the country for nearly three decades, was lifted in 2011 following the end of the civil war and the government's victory over Tamil Tiger rebels. Sri Lanka is a multireligious country, with Buddhists comprising about 70 percent of the population, Hindus and Muslims — 13 and 10 percent respectively.
Sri Lanka ends the state of emergency declared on March 6, 2018.