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**By APD writer Easwaran **
**COLOMBO, Mar. 7 (APD) - **Sri Lanka on Wednesday temporarily blocked access to social media websites after communal tensions continued in the central town of Kandy.
The Government said that access to some social media websites and phone messaging services have been restricted to limit the spread of hate speech and violence through these mediums.
Sri Lankan police officers attempt to douse burning shops in Ambatenna, in central Sri Lanka
Internet service providers said that on a request from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, social media sites and messaging platforms will be restricted with immediate effect until further notice.
According to internet service providers, Facebook. Whatsapp and Viber were affected by the move.
The move comes as some Buddhist extremist groups used social media, particularly Facebook, to promote hate against Muslims.
Sri Lanka on Wednesday had re-imposed a Police curfew in the central Buddhist dominated city of Kandy where minority Muslims came under attack on Monday.
The curfew had been lifted on Tuesday but was
re-imposed in some areas till Wednesday morning.
The Police later said that the curfew had been re-imposed in the entire Kandy administrative area on Wednesday.
The violence erupted after a Sinhalese man was killed in the Kandy area by a group of Muslims.
Sinhalese mobs angered over the death attacked Muslim owned property including shops, houses and vehicles on Monday.
A Muslim man was later found dead in a burnt shop and it was believed he had suffocated from the smoke.
Following the violence President Maithripala Sirisena declared a seven day state of emergency and deployed the Police and military to prevent further violence.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
