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400-strong Christian mob attacks Muslim shops in Sri Lankan town hit by Easter bomb
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and REUTERS and CHRIS DYER FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 02:41 AEST, 6 May 2019 | UPDATED: 00:42 AEST, 7 May 2019
Two people have been arrested in a Sri Lankan town after Christians attacked Muslim shops.
Residents say the mostly-Catholic mob stoned and vandalised Muslim-owned businesses in the seaside town of Negombo, where a suicide bombing targeted a Catholic church last month.
Social media was shut down and extra troops deployed onto the streets and hundreds were reportedly involved in violence over the weekend.
It is unclear how the dispute began but most witnesses said a private dispute took a religious turn.
The weekend clashes were said to involve majority ethnic Sinhalese and Muslims but a curfew put in place by security forces was lifted on Monday.
One Muslim resident of Porutota village near Negombo, said the attackers burnt a three-wheeler taxi and a motorbike.
Sri Lankan army soldiers secure the area around vandalised properties owned by Muslims following an overnight clash with Christians in Poruthota, a village in Negombo
A gem-seller said around 400 people rampaged in the streets, bombarded his shop with missiles, and some took precious stones kept in showcases.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said the situation has been brought under control.
He said the violence started as a drunken, private brawl but refused to name parties involved.
The Sri Lankan government also blocked some social media sites overnight, including Facebook and WhatsApp, 'in order to control the situation', the information department director Nalaka Kaluwewa said. The block was lifted early on Monday.
The violence comes as state schools in Sri Lanka resumed classes today amid tight security after the Easter Sunday bombings.
Many anxious parents kept their children at home over fears of more attacks by Islamic militants, leaving some classrooms virtually empty.
Soldiers conducted security sweeps of schools on Sunday after state institutions were asked to re-open on a staggered basis.
FULL STORY: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...a-issues-curfew-town-bombed-church-clash.html
By ASSOCIATED PRESS and REUTERS and CHRIS DYER FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 02:41 AEST, 6 May 2019 | UPDATED: 00:42 AEST, 7 May 2019
Two people have been arrested in a Sri Lankan town after Christians attacked Muslim shops.
Residents say the mostly-Catholic mob stoned and vandalised Muslim-owned businesses in the seaside town of Negombo, where a suicide bombing targeted a Catholic church last month.
Social media was shut down and extra troops deployed onto the streets and hundreds were reportedly involved in violence over the weekend.
It is unclear how the dispute began but most witnesses said a private dispute took a religious turn.
The weekend clashes were said to involve majority ethnic Sinhalese and Muslims but a curfew put in place by security forces was lifted on Monday.
One Muslim resident of Porutota village near Negombo, said the attackers burnt a three-wheeler taxi and a motorbike.
Sri Lankan army soldiers secure the area around vandalised properties owned by Muslims following an overnight clash with Christians in Poruthota, a village in Negombo
A gem-seller said around 400 people rampaged in the streets, bombarded his shop with missiles, and some took precious stones kept in showcases.
Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said the situation has been brought under control.
He said the violence started as a drunken, private brawl but refused to name parties involved.
The Sri Lankan government also blocked some social media sites overnight, including Facebook and WhatsApp, 'in order to control the situation', the information department director Nalaka Kaluwewa said. The block was lifted early on Monday.
The violence comes as state schools in Sri Lanka resumed classes today amid tight security after the Easter Sunday bombings.
Many anxious parents kept their children at home over fears of more attacks by Islamic militants, leaving some classrooms virtually empty.
Soldiers conducted security sweeps of schools on Sunday after state institutions were asked to re-open on a staggered basis.
FULL STORY: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...a-issues-curfew-town-bombed-church-clash.html
