AMN /COLOMBO
Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Saturday decided to appoint a Presidential Commission of inquiry to investigate the communal clashes which took place in Kandy district earlier this week.
The committee comprising three retired judges will investigate whether any violation of law and order or conspiracy is among the reasons for the clashes, evaluate the damages to lives and properties, recommend steps to prevent such incidents in the future, and look into the conduct of relevant authorities in controlling the situation and their accountability.
Three people died and more than 200 Muslim-owned businesses and homes were destroyed in four days of rioting that started on Monday.
The government imposed emergency provisions on Tuesday and deployed armed forces when the police were unable to control the Sinhala mob attacking Muslim establishments, shops and mosques.
Meanwhile, an all-party delegation led by Prime minister Ranil Wickremsinghe visited the violence affected areas on Saturday to assess the situation.
Prime Minister assured that government will pay full compensations caused by violence and ordered to prepare the estimates within a week.
Life is slowly returning to normal in those areas but some social media platforms including Facebook continue to be restricted.