A sri Lankan student studying at Oxford has hit out at President Maithripala Sirisena's move to ban women from purchasing alcohol. 

Kavindya Tennakoon, a Sri Lankan youth who identified herself as a student working in a bar, indicated that the Sri  Lankan President should know that the women in his country are capable of making decisions on their own.

"I am a Sri Lankan woman studying at Oxford while working in a bar. In case you didn't know that the women in your country are independent enough to make decisions for themselves. A young girl was gang raped two days back - focus on the real issues. Your sexism can wait," she said. 

Tennakoon's stinging response went viral on social media. 

President Maithripala Sirisena was widely criticized on social media platforms for his decision reimpose a ban on women barring them from buying alcohol.

In the process he revoked a gazette notification signed last week by Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera revising this 60 year old law.