Sri Lanka government lifts ban on social media platforms

The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday lifted the ban on social media platforms WhatsApp, Viber and Facebook with immediate effect.

The government had imposed the ban after the suicide bombings on April 21st in which over 250 people were killed, including 42 nationals.

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On Monday, authorities had banned face veils as part of emergency law imposed on the country after the bombings.

It is a presidential order to ban any dress covering faces with immediate effect," Dharmasri Bandara Ekanayake, a spokesman for President Maithripala Sirisena said.

In order to put a new security system in place, Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Chandana Wickramaratne as new acting police chief even as the ex-chief Pujith Jayasundara refused to resign.

Jayasundara was sent on "compulsory leave" after he remained defiant. Jayasundara refused to take responsibility for the intelligence failure that led to Easter Sunday bombings.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers have been deployed across the island to carry out searches since the Easter Day attacks on three churches and four hotels, most of which were in the capital Colombo. Security forces have detained 100 people, including foreigners from Syria and Egypt.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the bombings. Sri Lankan officials have identified Mohamed Hashim Mohamed Zahran who blew himself up in the Shangri-la attack as the mastermind behind the suicide attacks.

Most of the attackers were well-educated and from wealthy families, with some having been abroad to study,

Several countries including the US, UK have told its citizens to reconsider travelling to Sri Lanka in the wake of the attacks.

"Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka," the US State Department said in an advisory adding that it had ordered the departure of all school-age family members of US government employees.