Sri Lanka’s troops on alert amid communal riots

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan troops patrolled a coastal town Sunday where nearly 90 homes were damaged and cars set alight in violence between the island´s Sinhalese and Muslim communities. A brawl over a traffic accident on Gintota, about 110 kilometres (68 miles) south of the capital Colombo, on Thursday descended into clashes between mobs from the majority Sinhalese and minority Muslim minorities. The army and navy were deployed to reinforce local police as the situation spiralled over the weekend with at least five people hospitalised and close to 90 buildings damaged in the rioting. The town remained tense and under lockdown throughout Saturday evening, but at dawn a curfew imposed on previous days was lifted. “We have called for a complete report about damages and all the victims will be compensated by the state,” Home Minister Vajira Abeywardena told reporters.