Sri Lanka likely to lift social media ban

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka was likely to lift a ban on social media networks this week, a government minister said, almost a week after blocking access to prevent the spread of communal violence.

At least two people were killed in clashes in early March when Sinhalese Buddhists, angered by the killing of a driver, attacked mosques and Muslim-owned properties in the central Kandy district, a popular tourist destination.

Some of the violence was instigated by postings on Facebook threatening more attacks on Muslims, according to the government, which on March 7 cut access to Facebook, Viber and WhatsApp.

It initially said the ban would last for three days, but users say the services have remained blocked, indicating that in practice the ban has been extended.

Harin Fernando, the telecommunication minister, told reporters that senior Facebook company officials were expected to visit Sri Lanka today, and the government was likely to lift the ban on both Facebook and Whatsapp access.

“Once we discuss with the Facebook officials, the ban is likely to be lifted on Friday (tomorrow),” he said, adding that Facebook had been “slow” to address the government’s concerns.

Communal tensions have grown over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam and vandalising Buddhist archaeological sites. Muslim groups deny these allegations.

Fernando said authorities would closely monitor the networks for any hate speech that could damage ethnic harmony.

He said – without elaborating – that two state-run institutions would be directly working with the Facebook company on the monitoring.

He added that the government could not control hate speech and fake messages on Facebook by both “extreme” Buddhists and Muslims, and it had become a major menace to national security.

“We have seen the destruction due to Facebook messages. We have requested Facebook to help us to stop hate speech and the problems those messages have created,” he said.

Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, said it had clear rules against hate speech and incitement to violence.

“We are concerned with the way access to the internet is being restricted (in Sri Lanka) and depriving people of important connections and expression, and we hope that access will be restored soon,” it said.