Sri Lanka's main business chamber urges people to stay calm, calls for religious harmony

Sri Lanka’s main business chamber on Wednesday urged all Sri Lankans to act responsibly and help the authorities restore normalcy.
Responding to the imposition of a state of emergency amidst ethnic unrest in the central Kandy district, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) said recent history has shown "us how seriously our" people were affected by a conflict rooted in communal disharmony. 
“A recurrence of such a conflict will impact adversely on the development of this country in many ways i.e. spiritually, socially and economically,” it said while condemning religious and ethnic intolerance which has led to the current situation of unrest. 
“We call upon those vested with authority to take stringent measures to control all efforts to perpetrate violence. We urge all persons to unite and provide leadership to prevent further violence or the propagation of disharmony,” the chamber said in a carefully-worded statement.  – ENDS -