The Sri Lankan government continued to block access to Facebook, Whats App and Viber despite the lifting of the curfew in villages affected by the anti Muslim violence. 

Social media websites were blocked by the government on March 7 following attacks against Muslims carried out by Sinhala Buddhist mobs. 

The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said the decision to continue the suspension was made at the request of the Ministry of Defence. 

Sri Lanka's Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne this week condemned Sinhala people responsible for attacking Muslims in Kandy, saying they were traitors for attacking the Muslim community who helped the military in the fight against the LTTE. 

Praising the Muslim community for providing intelligence to the Sri Lankan military, Admiral Wijegunaratne said, "we are living today thanks to them, because as you all know our intelligence during our conflict time was entirely run by our Muslim community."

A former Tamil political prisoner was arrested at Colombo’s international airport on Friday, for the second time since his release in 2016.

Murugaiah Komakan, a former member of the Jaffna Municipal Council who was detained for six years under the Prevention of Terrorism Act was arrested while on his way out to India. He was detained for several hours and released after being told to appear at the Terrorism Investigation Department’s notorious ‘4th floor’ headquarters tomorrow (Sunday).

Sri Lanka's state minister, Harsha De Silva on Friday urged the government to investigate what he described as 'communal clashes', calling for 'Muslim extremism' to be investigated too. 

"We need to expose the extremist groups behind these series of communal clashes. Muslim extremism should also be investigated," Mr Silva told parliament, calling for a presidential commission to be set up. 

Speaking after a meeting with the visiting UN Under Secretary General, Jeffrey Feltman, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) spokesperson, M A Sumanthiran said that he had highlighted the UN's continued support for Sri Lankan implementing the UNHRC 2015 resolution, and had urged the government to fulfil its election mandate. 

Muslims in Mannar held a hartal on Friday, closing businesses and shops to demonstrate their support for Muslims in Kandy facing attacks by Sinhala Buddhist mobs. 

Muslim shops, homes and mosques in villages by Kandy were attacked earlier this week, leading to the government calling a state of emergency and imposing restrictions on social media use and internet access. 

Reports of attacks against Muslims continue despite the state of emergency however. 

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Thursday called on the Sri Lankan government to act switfly to ensure those responsible for anti-Muslim violence in Kandy are prosecuted. 

"The Sri Lankan government must act swiftly and in line with human rights to prosecute those responsible for recent communal violence."

"Particularly for attacks against the minority Muslim community in Kandy district, while avoiding the abusive practices of the past," said the ICJ in a statement. 

Evidence has emerged of members of Sri Lanka’s Special Task Force, who were deployed to quell anti-Muslim violence, collaborating with rioters, reports Colombo Telegraph.

A video obtained by Colombo Telegraph, shows a rioter humiliating a Muslim victim, whilst the Special Task Force personnel look and laugh.

Confessing to his involvement in the riots, he is heard to say,

“It is because of what I did that you now find yourself on the streets.”

Families of the disappeared marked one year since they started protesting in Mullaitivu today.

Commenting on recent anti-Muslim violence by Sinhala mobs in Sri Lanka, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Sri Lanka could handle the situation internally, however added that Beijing hoped the government would ensure the security of Chinese citizens on the island. 

“We have noted relevant reports. This belongs to Sri Lanka's internal affairs. China believes that the Sri Lankan government and its people are capable of handling the current situation, and upholding Sri Lanka's social stability and ethnic solidarity," the spokesperson, Geng Shuang said at a press conference.