Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said that the mobs in Chilaw, 80 kilometres north of the capital Colombo, also attacked Muslim-owned businesses. The violence erupted in Chilaw, a Catholic-majority town, after a resident misunderstood a Facebook post as a threat against Christians. Last week, there were similar tensions at a town between Colombo and Chilaw where an argument between two men degenerated into religious violence leaving three people wounded. Official sources said the curfew was imposed in Chilaw to prevent the unrest spreading to other areas. Sri Lanka has been under a state of emergency since the suicide bombings.

Source: Dhaka Tribune May 12, 2019 13:18 UTC