COLOMBO, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s president declared a state of emergency today amid fears that anti- Muslim attacks in several central hill towns could spread.

Details of the emergency decree were not immediately announced, and it was unclear how it would affect life on the South Asian island nation, where Buddhist-Muslim tensions have flared in recent years with the growth of extremist Buddhist organizations. Life went on as normal this afternoon in the capital, Colombo, and many other towns and cities, with no signs of increased security.

The areas where the violence erupted Monday, outside the town of Kandy, remained under curfew today, with soldiers and police patrolling the streets and no one allowed outside except for emergencies.

A tweet from the office of President Maithripala Sirisena said the decree would “redress the unsatisfactory security situation prevailing in certain parts of the country.” It said the country’s security forces “have been suitably empowered to deal with criminal elements in the society and urgently restore normalcy.”

While government officials did not specifically mention Buddhist extremists, many comments appeared aimed at them.