<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Sri Lankan government has declared a state of emergency in the country for seven days following violence against the minority community in Kandy district over the last two days.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The decision was taken in today's cabinet meeting to prevent the spread of communal riots to other parts of the country.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The President's Office, in a message, said the emergency was promulgated to redress the unsatisfactory security situation prevailing in certain parts of the country.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">It said the police and armed forces have been suitably empowered to deal with criminal elements in the society and urgently restore normalcy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said the government has decided to take stern action against those instigating violence through social media.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The decision comes as curfew was reimposed in two police divisions of Kandy district till tomorrow morning following tense situation.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Several houses and business establishments belonging to minority Muslim community were burnt while the body of a young man was found inside a burnt house today.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Police said that the special security arraignments put in place in the areas will continue and Special Task Force (STF) has been deployed to maintain peace.&nbsp;</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">This is the second such incident over past couple of weeks after Ampara in eastern province witnessed similar attacks last month.</div>