Bombs kill 138 in Easter Day attacks on Sri Lankan churches, hotels

. It was unclear whether there were any casualties in the hotels. Nine foreigners were among the dead, the officials said. There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attacks in a country which was at war for decades with Tamil separatists until 2009 during which bomb blasts in the capital were common.

Christian groups say they have faced increasing intimidation from some extremist Buddhist monks in recent years. And last year, there were clashes between the majority Sinhalese Buddhist community and minority Muslims, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to convert to Islam. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe called a national security council meeting at his home for later in the day.

“I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong,” he said in a Tweet. “Please avoid propagating unverified reports and speculation. The government is taking immediate steps to contain this situation.” President Maithripala Sirisena said he had ordered the police special task force and military to investigate who was behind the attacks and their agenda. The military had been deployed, according to a military spokesman, and security stepped up at Colombo’s international airport.One of the explosions was at St Anthony’s Shrine, a Catholic Church in Kochcikade, Colombo, which is a tourist landmark. St.

Last year, there were 86 verified incidents of discrimination, threats and violence against Christians, according to the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka , which represents more than 200 churches and other Christian organisations.

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