The Sri Lankan government is unlikely to extend the 10-day nationwide state of emergency imposed after communal riots erupted in Kandy district, as no fresh incidents of violence has been reported from anywhere in the country, the new Law and Order Minister has said. "I had a discussion with the Inspector General of Police and senior police officers this morning to assess the current security situation in the country. "A decision in this regard would be taken soon but the final decision, however, will be taken on both issues after President returns from his official visit to Japan," the Minister said.Telecommunication and Digital Infrastructure Minister Harin Fernando has also said that the restrictions on social media platforms including Facebook, Viber, WhatsApp and Imo will most probably be lifted within few days. "We have clear rules against hate speech and incitement to violence and work hard to keep it off our platform. "Though the situation was normal, but the police would not relax its guard in Kandy in particular," he said, addingh that 3,000 police and 750 STF personnel had been deployed in the riot-hit district.

Source: Economic Times March 13, 2018 09:11 UTC