Rajapakse sacks three key cabinet ministers

Colombo, Feb 9 (UNI) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse today sacked three senior ministers of his cabinet, triggering a new political crisis in the country.

Minister of Ports and Aviation Mangala Samaraweera, (former Foreign Minister), Minister of National Heritage Anura Bandaranaike, and non-cabinet Minister for Ports Sripathi Suriyarachchi were sacked this evening, political sources here said.

The ministerial sacking comes a few weeks after President Mahinda Rajapakse inducted 18 parliamentarians from the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and swore them in as cabinet, non-cabinet and deputy ministers, increasing the number of ministers holding portfolios to 108.

Anura Bandaranaike, a former Tourism Minister, who is the younger brother of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, had in a special speech in parliament yesterday, claimed that he had received a death threat over the phone, warning him to leave the party.

While thanking the President for ordering a special political inquiry into the death threat, he vowed that he would not leave the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, which was founded by his parents, SWRD Bandaranaike and Srimavo Bandaranaike and was built by his sister Chandrika Kumaratunga.

So far, there has been no official government release in this regard.

UNI