Sri Lankan authorities must ensure that human rights are upheld, Amnesty International said today, after the government declared a statement of emergency following Sinhala mob led attacks against Muslims in Kandy. 

"It is important that the authorities take action against mobs who have incited hatred and carried out acts of violence against religious minorities. They have a duty to protect vulnerable groups and hold the perpetrators accountable. But a state of emergency must not become a pretext for further human rights abuses," Amnesty's South Asia director, Biraj Patnaik said on Tuesday. 

The United National Under Secretary General for political affairs, Jeffrey Feltman is to visit Sri Lanka on March 9, the UN spokesperson announced on Tuesday as the country declared a state of emergency over anti-Muslim riots in Kandy. 

Muslim businesses and mosques were burnt by Sinhala mobs. Twenty-four people have been arrested, however tensions in the region remain high with ongoing reports of Muslim shops, mosques and home facing attacks. 

Mr Feltman's visit, which was planned ahead of current events, will be his third visit to the island. He is expected to meet with the goverment as well as political parties and civil society groups. 

A Sri Lankan brigadier who threatened Tamil protestors in London will be attending a five-month course in China to “better his professional prospects”, according to the military.

The Daily Mirror reported that Brigadier Priyanka Fernando is scheduled to leave to China to attend the course, following a recommendation made whist he was serving as Sri Lanka’s Defence attaché to the High Commission in the UK.

It was in that role that Brigadier Fernando was filmed motioning a death threat to Tamil protestors in London last month, running his finger across his neck.

Tamil Civil Society organisations across the North-East of Sri Lanka have unequivocally condemned recent incidents of anti-Muslim violence that occurred earlier this week.

Slamming the government’s failure to address impunity of previous incidents of anti-muslim violence, a statement released today, said,

The Sri Lankan government has declared a state of emergency across the island for at least 10 days, after Sinhala mobs launched a deadly anti-Muslim riot in Kandy yesterday.

The Sri Lankan military announced that it had opened a new “utility building complex” for soldiers stationed at the Sri Lankan Security Force Headquarters in Kilinochchi.

Anti-Muslim violence in Kandy has resulted in a district-wide police curfew and closure of schools across the district as well as the deployment of Special Task Force troops.

The violence in the Digana and Teldeniya areas of Kandy occurred after a Sinhalese man died, allegedly after a road-rage incident led to an altercation between the deceased and a group of Muslim men.

Sinhala mobs, including Buddhist monks, set fire to two mosques as well as Muslim businesses and homes in the areas.

Local sources report at least 8 homes and 50 businesses were burnt in the attacks.

Sri Lanka’s ambassador to China slammed “the imperial powers of the West” for exploiting “occupied countries” in an exclusive interview to China’s state news agency Xinhua this week, as Colombo looks to build stronger relations with Beijing.

Sri Lankan parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa was a controversial participant at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Forum in London this week, taking part in discussions around conflict resolution and preventing sexual violence despite his continued denial of human rights abuses committed by Sri Lankan troops.

The Chief Minister of the Northern Province has called on the Indian government to “apply political pressure” on Sri Lanka in order to bring about a political solution to the ethnic conflict on the island.

Speaking at a farewell dinner in Jaffna to honour outgoing Indian Consul General A Nadarajan, Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran said that “India needs to be robust in its foreign policy with Sri Lanka in order to find a lasting solution to the ethnic conflict”.

“India should apply political pressure on the Government for a federal solution rather than strengthening more economic ties, as has been the case in recent times,” he added.