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Photos: Sri Lanka schools re-open amid continuing fears of attacks

Two weeks after suicide bombings at hotels and churches killed 257 people, soldiers conducted a security sweep of schools on Sunday after state institutions were asked to re-open on a staggered basis.

Updated on: May 08, 2019 12:15 PM IST

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A Sri Lankan police officer searches a school premises ahead of schools’ second term starting on May 06. State schools in Sri Lanka resumed classes on Monday amid tight security after the Easter Sunday bombings, but many anxious parents kept their children at home over fears of more attacks by Islamic militants. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

A Sri Lankan police officer searches a school premises ahead of schools’ second term starting on May 06. State schools in Sri Lanka resumed classes on Monday amid tight security after the Easter Sunday bombings, but many anxious parents kept their children at home over fears of more attacks by Islamic militants. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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Sri Lankan police stand guard as school students return to classes as schools re-open across the country. Mid-to-upper stream classes resumed on Monday, to be followed by lower grades at a later date. (Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

Sri Lankan police stand guard as school students return to classes as schools re-open across the country. Mid-to-upper stream classes resumed on Monday, to be followed by lower grades at a later date. (Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP)

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A student is frisked by a parent as he arrives at his school in Batticaloa. Despite the tight security and military patrols, most classrooms were near empty on Monday. Private schools, including Catholic institutions, remained closed. (Danish Siddiqui / REUTERS)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

A student is frisked by a parent as he arrives at his school in Batticaloa. Despite the tight security and military patrols, most classrooms were near empty on Monday. Private schools, including Catholic institutions, remained closed. (Danish Siddiqui / REUTERS)

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Sri Lankan police officers search a school with the help of parents in Colombo. “I have decided not to send my son to school until the country returns to normal,” said Sujeeva Dissanayake, whose son goes to the state-run Asoka College in Colombo. She and other parents were at the school to help provide security. (Eranga Jayawardena / AP)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

Sri Lankan police officers search a school with the help of parents in Colombo. “I have decided not to send my son to school until the country returns to normal,” said Sujeeva Dissanayake, whose son goes to the state-run Asoka College in Colombo. She and other parents were at the school to help provide security. (Eranga Jayawardena / AP)

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Sri Lankan bomb disposal squad officers use a sniffer dog to check for explosives at a school in Colombo. “Until we are certain about the security situation outside we will not send the child to school,” Dissanayake said. (Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

Sri Lankan bomb disposal squad officers use a sniffer dog to check for explosives at a school in Colombo. “Until we are certain about the security situation outside we will not send the child to school,” Dissanayake said. (Ishara S. Kodikara / AFP)

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Sri Lankan army soldiers search a class room. At Royal College, an elite state school in Colombo, the parking area usually filled with school vans on a normal day was practically empty. Only about 5% of its 6000 students were back in classes, a school official said. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

Sri Lankan army soldiers search a class room. At Royal College, an elite state school in Colombo, the parking area usually filled with school vans on a normal day was practically empty. Only about 5% of its 6000 students were back in classes, a school official said. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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At a Hindu school in Batticaloa on the east coast, site of one of the church bombings, parents helped to search schoolbags at the entrance gate. Once inside, pupils sat in desks away from road-side windows. “Parents are not confident that safety has returned to normal,” said T. Yasodharan, principal of Sivananda College where only 30% of its students showed up on Monday. (Danish Siddiqui / REUTERS)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

At a Hindu school in Batticaloa on the east coast, site of one of the church bombings, parents helped to search schoolbags at the entrance gate. Once inside, pupils sat in desks away from road-side windows. “Parents are not confident that safety has returned to normal,” said T. Yasodharan, principal of Sivananda College where only 30% of its students showed up on Monday. (Danish Siddiqui / REUTERS)

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Sri Lankan soldiers inspect a school in Colombo. Security forces were on high alert after intelligence reports indicated militants could strike before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Muslim schools will be closed for the holidays. (Ishara S Kodikara / AFP)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

Sri Lankan soldiers inspect a school in Colombo. Security forces were on high alert after intelligence reports indicated militants could strike before the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Muslim schools will be closed for the holidays. (Ishara S Kodikara / AFP)

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In Negombo, where 102 people attending Easter Sunday service were killed in the deadliest bomb attack, authorities lifted an overnight curfew imposed after clashes between two groups of civilians. A brief ban on social media platforms was also lifted, but authorities said they would stay alert for threats against the Muslim community in the wake of the April 21 attacks. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

In Negombo, where 102 people attending Easter Sunday service were killed in the deadliest bomb attack, authorities lifted an overnight curfew imposed after clashes between two groups of civilians. A brief ban on social media platforms was also lifted, but authorities said they would stay alert for threats against the Muslim community in the wake of the April 21 attacks. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Ranjith, who has criticised the government’s handling of security around key establishments, has asked for Catholic schools in the Western Province, which includes Colombo and its suburbs, to be closed this week. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

Updated on May 08, 2019 12:15 PM

Archbishop of Colombo Malcolm Ranjith, who has criticised the government’s handling of security around key establishments, has asked for Catholic schools in the Western Province, which includes Colombo and its suburbs, to be closed this week. (Dinuka Liyanawatte / REUTERS)

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