Colombo, May 12: Sri Lanka's main opposition party today asked President Chandrika Kumaratunga to sack the cohabitation government to avoid a major constitutional crisis. Kumartunga's People's Alliance said that it wanted the President to take strict action to prevent the country from slipping into anarchy. There should be talks between Kumarantunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to resolve the issue, but in case they failed, the president must sack the government, opposition leader Mahinda Rajapakse said.


The latest crisis flared up on Friday night when Kumaratunga took over the functioning of the development lottery board from the economic reforms ministry.

It was the first major power tussle since Wickremesinghe defeated her party at the parliamentary elections in December 2001.

Before she could give legal effect to the move by publishing it in the official gazette, the government shut down the state-run printing presses and called in police to prevent rioting outside the press.

Police were deployed to guard the presses while the road leading to it was also sealed off. However, officials said the presses opened this morning.

There was no immediate comment from the President, who had travelled to the central region of the country to consult with her close aides on the issue, but party stalwarts said she had returned to the capital for further discussions with opposition groups.
Bureau Report