In what appeared to be the beginning of a power tussle, chastened Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga issued a special directive to armed forces asserting that she continued to be their commander and would brook no undermining of her authority as opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe whose party won the elections prepared to form government. Kumaratunga, who invited the United National Party leader to form government, in the directive on Friday asked armed forces and police to act impartially while dealing with law and order problems, especially of a political nature. As President, defence minister and commander in chief, she said that she was fully empowered to issue directives to them. “I will not hesitate to take stringent legal action against any security forces or police officer who acts extraneous to these directives or neglects them, regardless of their stature,” the President whose tenure ends in December 2005 said.
Her order came amidst charges that supporters of the outgoing People`s Alliance government which was in power for seven years were being harassed and attacked by UNP men in various parts of the country and that the new regime might direct the police to arrest PA bigwigs allegedly behind electoral violence.
Bureau Report