Sri Lankan president tells 39 top officials to clear out

The president sacked 39 ministers and deputy ministers from the caretaker government headed by her political rival yesterday, worsening Sri Lanka's political crisis.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga sacked parliament on Saturday and ordered fresh polls on April 2 -- three years ahead of the scheduled year 2007. She and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe have been locked in a bitter power struggle that threatens to derail the island's efforts to end a 20-year civil war.

"The president has sacked 27 non-cabinet ministers and 12 deputy ministers," presidential spokesman Janadasa Peiris read from a statement by the president. "In view of the dissolution of parliament, I have decided to remove all non-cabinet and deputy ministers by virtue of powers vested in me."

The sacked ministers headed nonessential departments, such as highway development, housing development and irrigation. They did not attend cabinet meetings.

The statement did not say why Kumaratunga had taken the action, but Peiris said there would be a second statement later in the day.

He said the presidential secretary has ordered ministry bureaucrats to take back all state property, such as government cars, from the sacked officials.

The move is seen as an attempt to prevent Wickremesinghe's United National Front party from having an advantage in campaigning because of its access to government resources.

Wickremesinghe elected separately and leads a cabinet of about 30 remaining ministers, but the president, who has broad executive powers, has the right to dismiss him and his ministers.

A power struggle between Kumaratunga and Wickremesinghe began last November when the president took over three of Wickremesinghe's top ministries, accusing him of making too many concessions to Tamil Tiger rebels during peace talks.

Wickremesinghe's and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam signed a Norway-brokered truce in February 2002 which halted 19 years of bloodshed.