By Xinhua,
Colombo : Sri Lankan police in the eastern town of Kathankudy has imposed a curfew following unrest, officials said Tuesday.
“Police curfew has been enforced from 5:45 p.m. (1215 GMT) this evening until 6 a.m. (0030 GMT) tomorrow,” police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera said in the capital Colombo.
A group of Muslims at Kathankudy, about 303 km from Colombo staged a protest Tuesday afternoon.
They burnt tyres on the road while forcing the closure of shops and halting public transport.
They demanded the release of a Muslim abducted Tuesday morning by an unknown armed group. The police said the Muslim was later released.
Problems have flared up between the Muslim and Tamil communities in the Eastern Province since the Eastern Provincial Council election held on May 10.
Muslims and Tamils have a long history of animosity in the multi-ethnic Eastern Province.
The newly appointed chief minister in the province Pillayan has assured support for all three communities in the province.
There have been killings of several Tamil and Muslim civilians since the election.