Colombo, Aug 17: Security was stepped up at a Muslim town in north-eastern Sri Lanka today even as authorities lifted a night curfew imposed after inter-communal tensions, officials said today. Night curfew was eased at dawn in Muttur today, but additional police were deployed amid fears of renewed clashes following the slaying last week of two Muslim men by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels, police said.
They said a clash between two groups yesterday left at least four policemen wounded. The policemen were escorting a group of bus passengers when they came under attack.
Muslim leader Rauf Hakeem, who is also the government's ports minister and member of the peace negotiating team, was in the region today to help bring the situation under control, his spokesman said.
He said Hakeem was taking up the issue of harassment of Muslims with the truce monitors known as the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) as well as local police and security forces. Bureau Report