By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI Associated Press ABC NEWS

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka April 9, 2013 (AP)

The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka expressed alarm at rising hate speech and attacks against Muslims in the island nation and warned that such sentiments should not be allowed to fester.

Hate speeches, vilification and even attacks on Muslim-owned businesses and places of worship by Sinhalese-Buddhist nationalist groups have occurred in recent months, and inaction by the government and police has spurred allegations that the government supports the campaign, which it denies.

“(The) United States, along with many Sri Lankan citizens, is alarmed by the recent attacks on Muslim businesses and certain inflammatory calls to action,” Ambassador Michele J. Sison told foreign correspondents in Colombo on Monday.

“This type of hateful sentiment must not be allowed to fester,” she said, adding that the voices of tolerance must join to defeat extremism.

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