Colombo, Oct 09: A dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed at a Muslim town in north-eastern Sri Lanka today after inter-communal clashes, officials said. The troubles erupted following a land dispute in the town of Kinniya in the district of Trincomalee, officials said adding that police and army reinforcements had been sent to the area to prevent an escalation of violence.
Sri Lanka's ports minister Rauf Hakeem, who is also the leader of the main Muslim party, was flown to the area to help defuse tension, officials said.
The authorities feared that the trouble could escalate in to a full blown fight between minority Tamils and Muslims in the area.
There had been inter-communal clashes in the eastern province in recent months.
Bureau Report