Prez Sirisena bans Sri Lankan women from wearing face veils

A Sri Lankan Special Task Force soldier checks a Muslim burial ground in Colombo on Monday, a week after the blasts. Pic/AFP

Colombo: Muslim women in Sri Lanka will not be allowed to wear any form of face veils in public from Monday under the new regulations announced by President Maithripala Sirisena, who used emergency powers in the wake of the Easter Sunday bombings.

The new regulation banning any form of face covering was announced by the President on Sunday, a week after the coordinated blasts hit three churches and three luxury hotels, killing over 250 people and injuring more than 500 others. It specifically mentions "any face garment which hinders identification".

"The ban is to ensure national security. No one should obscure their faces to make identification difficult," Sirisena's office said in a statement. He took steps under the emergency regulation to prohibit the use of face coverings of all sorts, which is an obstacle to ensure the identity of the people and a threat to national and public security. The order clarifies that the key criterion for establishing the identity of a person is the need to clearly expose the face.

The President has taken this decision to establish a peaceful and cohesive society, which does not inconvenience any community as well as ensures national security. The presidential communique, however, makes no mention of niqab and burkha.

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