Sri Lankan police clamped indefinite curfews and troops poured into a central tea-growing region Thursday after two people were killed in ethnic violence, officials and residents said.rn
A curfew was imposed on the picturesque Kandapola region after clashes between the Tamil and Sinhalese communities that left more than 20 shops destroyed, officials said.rn
rn They said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse flew to the area in a military helicopter and promised compensation and an impartial inquiry into the shooting by police to quell rioting.rn
rn Residents said two Tamil men of recent Indian origin were killed when police opened fire to stop mobs that attacked shops and vehicles late Wednesday in clashes triggered by a traffic accident.rn
rn Sinhalese are in a majority in the country, but are smaller in number than the Tamils in Kandapola.rn
rn Indigenous Tamils form about 12.6 of Sri Lankas population, while Tamils of "recent Indian origin" descended from indentured labour imported by