Sri Lanka's President sacked 39 ministers of the caretaker government led by her arch political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe following her dissolution of parliament on Saturday last week.  

President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Director General Media Janadasa Peiris said she sent letters on Wednesday to each of the 27 non-cabinet ministers and 12 deputy ministers dismissing them with immediate effect.

Peiris added that Presidential Secretary had also written to each of the sacked ministers informing them of taking over all state facilities provided to them.

President Kumaratunga dissolved the parliament Saturday night and ordered a fresh parliamentary poll in the country schedule for April 2, four years ahead of the schedule.

Her action followed her main opposition People's Alliance forging an alliance with the leftist JVP or People's Alliance to topple the Wickremesinghe government.

The president's dissolution of the parliament was the culmination of a three month old political standoff between the president and the prime minister who represent rival political parties.

Kumaratunga in early November last year took three key ministries of the Wickremesinghe administration accusing the government of betraying national security in the guise of the internationally backed peace process with the Tamil Tigers rebels.

(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2004)