Colombo, March 15 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena, on Thursday lifted the restrictions on Facebook after the social media platform was banned for nearly a week due to the outbreak of deadly communal clashes in Kandy earlier this month.
“On my instructions, my Secretary has discussed with officials of Facebook, who have agreed that its platform will not be used for spreading hate speech and inciting violence. As such, I instructed TRCSL to remove the temporary ban on Facebook with immediate effect,” President Sirisena tweeted.
Social media platforms such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Viber and Instagram were blocked in Sri Lanka since March 7 following clashes between Sinhala Buddhists and Muslims in Kandy which left three dead, several injured and over 200 houses, shops and mosques burnt and damaged.
The government said the social media restrictions were put in place to prevent the rise of hate speech and to prevent instigating communal violence from escalating further.
