The President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Kumaratunga, has sacked three ministers and deployed troops at key sites, after her party rejected a deal to end the civil war with Tamil Tiger rebels.
A one-page statement said the Defence, Interior and Information ministers were sacked 'in the national interest'.
She has also suspended parliament for two weeks.
The moves are being made as her political rival, the country's Prime Minister, is in Washington for a meeting with US President George W Bush to discuss the peace process.
