Anti-Muslim attacks continue despite Sri Lanka’s state of emergency

 Buddhist mobs attacked mosques and businesses belonging to Sri Lanka’s minority Muslims overnight, police said Wednesday, despite the imposition of a state of emergency to restore peace in the bitterly-divided island.

 Buddhist mobs attacked mosques and businesses belonging to Sri Lanka’s minority Muslims overnight, police said Wednesday, despite the imposition of a state of emergency to restore peace in the bitterly-divided island.

Sri Lanka on Tuesday declared a nationwide state of emergency after riots targeting Muslims left at least two people dead and homes ablaze in a hill station popular with tourists.

But police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said there had been “several incidents” throughout Tuesday night in the Kandy area, popular with tourists for its tea gardens.

“The police arrested seven people. Three police officers were injured from the incidents,” Gunasekara told Reuters. There was no information about how many civilians had been injured in the attacks, he said.

A business official said Wednesday the government had ordered the blocking of social media sites, including Facebook, to stop the spread of violence.

The government on Tuesday said it was imposing the extraordinary measures after police failed to curb violence in Kandy.

Heavily-armed police commandos were deployed to restore order after rioters defied an overnight curfew and went on the rampage.