Colombo, March 6 (newsin.asia): The United States has appealed to Sri Lanka to “swiftly” end the State of Emergency declared on Tuesday after “quickly” acting against perpetrators of sectarian violence.
“Rule of law, human rights, and equality are essential for peaceful coexistence. It is important that the Government of Sri Lanka act quickly against perpetrators of sectarian violence, protect religious minorities and their places of worship, and conclude the State of Emergency swiftly, while protecting human rights and basic freedoms for all,” the US Embassy said in a statement.
The Indian High Commission issued an advisory but gave no advice to the Sri Lankan government. It stated that there had been incidents of violence near Kandy while peace prevailed in the other parts of the island and that the Sri Lankan government had clamped an emergency to tackle the unsatisfactory security situation in some parts of the country. That said, the mission told Indian citizens that the Indian High Commission in Colombo, the Assistant High Commission in Kandy and the Indian Consulates General in Hambantota and Jaffna could be contacted for any assistance that might be required. The contact numbers of these missions were given in the statement.
President Maithripala Sirisena had declared a State Emergency “to redress the unsatisfactory security situation prevailing in certain parts of the country.”
The President’s Media Division said the Police and Armed Forces have been suitably empowered to deal with criminal elements in the society and to restore normalcy with immediate effect.