COLOMBO – China has responded cautiously over the imposition of emergencyin Srilanka after the communal clashes erupt in the country.
China on Wednesday urged the Sri Lankan government to take measures toensure the security of its nationals in view of the communal clashesbetween the Buddhists and Muslims that led to the imposition of anemergency.
Sri Lanka on Tuesday declared a state of emergency for 10 days to rein inthe spread of communal violence between majority Sinhala Buddhists andminority Muslims in the country’s scenic Kandy district that left twopersons dead and damaged several mosques and homes.
Violence, triggered by the death of a Sinhalese man at the hands of a moblast week, erupted yesterday in the Theldeniya area of the central hilldistrict popular with tourists. The government sent troops and elite policecommandoes to Kandy to restore order and enforce the curfew.
Asked about the emergency imposed in Sri Lanka to clampdown on the communalclashes, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said here thatChina hopes the Sri Lankan government would take measures to protect thesafety and security of Chinese nationals.
On the declaration of the emergency by the government, Geng declined tocomment on it, saying that it is an internal affair of Sri Lanka. “Webelieve it is the domestic affair of Sri Lanka. We believe the Sri Lankangovernment and the people are capable of dealing with the currentsituations and to ensure the social stability and national solidarity,” hesaid.
China invested billions of dollars in Sri Lanka, including in thedevelopment of ports in Hambantota and Colombo. Sri Lanka has also emergedas a popular destination for Chinese tourists.