President
reinforces Defence Ministry as consensus talks stall
The newly formed Internal Security Ministry replacing the Interior
Ministry will have the Police, Home Guards and the National Dangerous
Drugs Control Board under its control.
Former Interior
Ministry Secretary M.N.Junaid who has taken over as the Secretary
to the Internal Security Ministry said that all staff of the Interior
ministry would come under the purview of the new ministry.
The newly formed
Internal Security Ministry has been entrusted with the subjects
of maintaining public order -- police powers and functions relating
to Public order vested by the constitution, maintaining traffic,
maintaining civil security and prevention and control of dangerous
drugs. Some of the key departments of the former Interior Ministry,
including the Departments of Prison, Immigration and Emigration,
Registration of persons and the Commissioner for the Registration
of Persons of Indian Origin, have been vested in the Defence Ministry.
The formation
of the Internal Security Ministry and the strengthening of the Defence
Ministry came as the talks between President Chandrika Kumaratunga
and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe virtually ended in a stalemate
with officials of the two sides failing to reach an agreement by
the December 15 deadline.
Both the President
and the Prime Minister were out of Colombo on vacation. The President
was reported to be in the south on a holiday with her children who
are on vacation and the Prime Minister in Nuwara Eliya. The Mano
Tittawella-Malik Samarawickrama committee has not fixed a fresh
date for talks after their last meeting ended inconclusively last
week.
Annexing additional
subjects to the Defence Ministry was seen as a fresh move to beef
up the Defence Ministry which the President has refused to hand
back to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has insisted that
the Defence Ministry be fully handed back to the government to ensure
the continuity of the peace process.
Meanwhile,
the position regarding the peace process is expected to be re-discussed
among LTTE leaders with the return of theoretician Anton Balasingham
to the Wanni next month. He is due to arrive in mid-January after
keeping away for nearly eight months. |