SRI LANKA: Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga's dissolution of parliament and call for snap elections were undemocratic and a threat to the ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels, the country's Prime Minister said yesterday.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his first public speech since the April 2nd election was called 10 days ago, said the poll could jeopardise a two-year-old truce that has silenced the guns in a 20-year civil war in which 64,000 people have died.
"This action was against the mandate of the people. The government had the support of a majority in parliament when it was dispersed," he said in a recorded speech played on several private television channels.
None of the state media, which are controlled by the President, carried the speech. "The President has jeopardised the ceasefire agreement. The economy got a severe blow. The country is once again unstable," Mr Wickremesinghe said.
Simmering tensions between the left-leaning Ms Kumaratunga and the pro-business Mr Wickremesinghe came to a head when she took over the defence, interior and media ministries in November, saying he was too soft on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The two are from rival parties and elected separately.
On February 7th, Ms Kumaratunga called general elections, three years before Mr Wickremesinghe's term was due to expire.
Mr Wickremesinghe defended his record, saying the truce had brought peace and prosperity to the divided island. - (Reuters)